Friday, September 23, 2005

Sometimes, Carriers Do the Right Thing...(UPDATED & BUMPED)

It should be apparent by now that I am hardly any insurance company's shill. But when one does something right, it's appropriate to acknowledge that.
Today, I received this email from United Healthcare:
"To help affected UnitedHealthcare members receive the care they need without unnecessary delays or disruptions, we are temporarily changing our claims payment policy for affected members. Payment of the health care services provided, regardless of location or network status, will be reimbursed at UnitedHealthcare's in-network benefit level."
This means that victims of Katrina don't have to sweat whether or not the providers they see are in-network. It also means there's one less hassle. One could argue that this is hardly altruistic: for one thing, it's good PR. For another, it's probably less of a headache from UHC's end, as well.
But I believe that why one does something is less important than that the right thing is done.
Kudos to UHC.
UPDATE: Just received another email from United: "With Hurricane Rita heading towards land, we are committed to supporting our customers and members during this time. We are focused on helping people receive the care they need. The measures that were put in place for Hurricane Katrina are at the ready for those impacted by Hurricane Rita"
Among other things, they've eased the process for folks to "buy ahead" on their meds, so that they don't run short during the crisis. I'm going to second Chad's remarks in the comments: double Kudo's to UHC.
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