UnitedHealth’s public policy recommendations: 10 things to know

The company published “A Path Forward” Sept. 12, laying out its top policy priorities and vision for the future of the healthcare system. 

“We are confident elected officials across the political spectrum will see the common good in advancing smart, sound policies focused on expanding and diversifying the healthcare workforce, reforming prescription drug pricing, and simplifying the enrollment process to achieve universal coverage, ultimately ensuring every American has access to high-quality, affordable healthcare,” Margaret-Mary Wilson, MD, and Wyatt Decker, MD, UnitedHealth’s top physicians, wrote in the introduction to the report. 

Here are 10 recommendations to note: 

1. UnitedHealth Group proposes several policies to accelerate the adoption of value-based care, including updating physician payment models in Medicare and investing in physician infrastructure needed for two-sided risk models. 
2. The company supports amending medical loss ratio requirements to include spending on social services, like housing, nutrition and transportation. The Affordable Care Act requires plans to spend at least 80-85% of premiums on medical care. Investments in provider capabilities should also count toward this minimum, UnitedHealth argues. 
3. Medicare should expand coverage of home-based services, including home infusion, remote monitoring and hospital-at-home. 
4. Patent laws and FDA approval processes should be changed to grant new drugs shorter periods of market exclusivity. 
5. UnitedHealth is advocating for improved data sharing to reduce the $185 billion lost in waste, fraud and abuse annually. 
6. The company supports automatically enrolling uninsured individuals eligible for Medicaid or exchange plans in coverage, with an option to opt out.
7.  UnitedHealth supports efforts to expand Medicaid in the 10 states that have not opted to do so. 
8. UnitedHealth backs permanent expanded subsidies for exchange plans, and continued exclusion of employer-sponsored health insurance from taxes. 
9. The company supports several items aimed at increasing workforce capacity, including increasing federally-funded medical residency spots, expanded visa slots for foreign-trained clinicians and increased government investment in advanced practice training. 
10. UnitedHealth put forward proposals aimed at improving physician experience, including reducing the number of codes subject to prior authorization and exempting some physicians from prior authorization. The company also supports establishing a core set of evidence-based care and outcomes measures to reduce provider burnout. 

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