New for open enrollment: Mental health support, plans without deductibles
Open enrollment – it’s the time each year set aside for you to take a close look at your health benefits. Is your insurance plan working for you or are there adjustments that could be made? What new offerings may be available to help make health care easier to access and more affordable?
The key is picking plans with all the right elements. A helpful place to start that process may be by figuring out what’s changed – either in your life or for your plan options – since the last time you signed up for coverage.
This year, you may be able to choose a plan with a different design, such as one that eliminates deductibles and makes it easier to comparison shop for care. There may be options for increased mental health support to help reduce stress and avoid burnout. You may have access to wellness programs with incentives to exercise, improve your sleep or quit smoking.
Beyond traditional specialty plans such as dental and vision, there may be additional voluntary benefits that could be a good fit for you and your family, such as accident, critical illness or disability coverage.
Here are 5 things to watch for as you prepare to make benefit choices for 2025
1. Plans with upfront pricing
Inflation and rising costs remain a concern for many people. With that in mind, you may want to consider a plan that offers upfront pricing, which makes it possible to know your out-of-pocket costs in the form of a single copay before making medical appointments.
For example, UnitedHealthcare’s Surest® health plan eliminates deductibles and coinsurance and gives eligible members upfront cost and coverage options. Through the Surest app, members can identify high-value care providers and facilities. This more modern approach to health benefits helped lower member out-of-pocket costs by 54% on average compared to traditional plans,1 as well as improve access for people across age groups, demographics and many chronic conditions.
2. Easing out-of-pocket expenses
Covering deductibles and other out-of-pocket health care expenses may be a concern for many consumers. For some eligible members, programs like UnitedHealthcare’s Care Cash aims to help offer “first-dollar coverage” through use of a pre-funded debit card to help pay toward certain network health care expenses.
Through the program, eligible members can receive up to $200 for the year for individuals or $500 for families, which can be used to cover out-of-pocket costs for outpatient behavioral health appointments, eligible in-network primary care physician visits, 24/7 Virtual Visit providers, urgent care facilities, lab visits and certain specialty care.
3. Find care and costs
It’s important to be able to more conveniently access safe, effective, and affordable care that meets your needs. With 38% of Americans2 avoiding or delaying health care due to the expense, offering consumers more insight into the cost of care upfront may help reduce costs, improve access and promote a more equitable health care system. The UnitedHealthcare website and mobile app includes a new enhanced search experience that allows you to search for care, compare providers and see cost estimates.
This search tool, called "Find Care & Costs," enables members to shop for in-network care and empowers people with the information to make decisions that are best for them. Find Care & Costs personalizes search results based on individual health concerns and offers clear cost and coverage information based on a member’s benefits.
Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), this tool is now available to nearly 28 million UnitedHealthcare members enrolled in employer-sponsored plans and provides cost transparency for over 19,000 services.
4. Increased behavioral and mental health support
Behavioral and mental health help may be included with your plan options, especially as companies look to expand offerings to address the need. Look for support that meets your needs across the entire care continuum, including: mental health education, stress-reduction apps, virtual coaching, in-person and virtual therapy, psychiatric care.
Your plan may also feature an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) designed to make it easier and more affordable to connect with mental health services.
5. Consumer engagement programs
Some health plans are introducing or expanding programs designed to encourage members to engage with their health plan and adopt healthier habits, including offering rewards and incentives to help make more informed health and lifestyle decisions. In fact, 63% of consumers3 say they are interested in digital health programs to help improve their health and well-being.
For example, UnitedHealthcare Rewards offers eligible members up to $1,0004 in incentives for completing certain daily health program goals like regular fitness and consistent sleep and one-time activities, such as annual wellness exams, biometric screenings and an annual flu shot. The program enables members to use their rewards in a variety of ways, which includes access to a pre-paid debit card or deposited into a health saving account/health reimbursement account for members who want help covering out of pocket medical costs.5
One more thing
After you research your options, make sure you know when you’re supposed to sign up for coverage:
For employer-provided coverage, open enrollment typically occurs within a 2- to 3-week period between September and December.
For Affordable Care Act plans, visit your state’s health insurance website6 to find this year’s enrollment dates.
For Medicare, you can enroll or make changes to coverage from Oct. 15-Dec. 7.
Tips to choosing a health plan
