About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealth Group has two businesses - UnitedHealthcare and Optum. UnitedHealthcare is a health benefits business or health insurance company that offers a full spectrum of health benefit programs to individuals, employers, retirees and their families, military service members, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries residing in the United States.
UnitedHealthcare works with over 1.3 million physicians and healthcare professionals, nearly 6,700 hospitals, and other care providers nationwide. It also partners with Optum, which provides the necessary technology, tools, and healthcare data to deliver better care at lower costs.
Understanding health insurance terminology
Before you visit a United Healthcare OB-GYN near you, it can be helpful to understand the critical jargon related to health insurance. Whether choosing a new plan or reviewing your current coverage, clearly understanding key terms is crucial. Healthcare-related definitions can also evolve with policy changes, making it essential to stay informed.
Here are some critical health insurance terms and their meanings:
- Allowable charge – The maximum amount an insurance provider will cover for a medical service. You may have to pay the difference if a healthcare provider's fee exceeds this. Example: If an acupuncturist charges $95 per session, but your insurer's allowable charge is $45, you would be responsible for the remaining $50.
- Association health plan (AHP) – A group-based insurance option that allows individuals with similar professional or organizational affiliations to obtain health coverage at group rates. These plans often benefit freelancers, self-employed individuals, or those without employer-sponsored insurance.
- Balance billing – When a healthcare provider charges you for the portion of a bill that remains after your insurance has paid its share, based on the allowable charge.
- Carrier – Another term for a health insurance company offering medical expense coverage.
- Catastrophic plan – A type of health insurance designed to provide essential coverage as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires. Such plans have lower monthly premiums but high deductibles and significant out-of-pocket expenses. They typically cover only a few primary care visits annually, with most medical costs paid by the policyholder until the deductible is met. Preventive services are often included at no extra cost.
- Coinsurance – This refers to the medical cost you are responsible for after meeting your deductible, with your insurance covering the remainder. Typically, in-network providers offer lower coinsurance rates than out-of-network providers.
- Concierge medicine – Also called boutique or retainer-based healthcare, this model pays an annual fee for enhanced access to medical services and personalized care. Concierge practices often limit the number of patients they accept to allow for longer appointment times and a focus on preventive care. The retainer fee is not covered by insurance, so patients must pay it themselves, though some covered services may still apply to their insurance benefits.
How does UnitedHealthcare serve its customers?
UnitedHealthcare serves its customers through four primary businesses. These include:
- UnitedHealthcare Employer & Individual offers health benefit plans to over 29 million Americans, including public-sector employers, large national employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals.
- UnitedHealthcare Community & State helps approximately 7.7 million people in the United States in programs for the financially disadvantaged, the medically underserved, and those without employer-funded healthcare coverage.
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement services about 13.7 million older adults and other Medicare-eligible people.
- UnitedHealthcare Global provides care to roughly 2.2 million people in South America. UnitedHealthcare Global extends its services to governments, multinational and local businesses, insurers, re-insurers, individuals, and families.
Who are OB-GYNs? When should you see one?
Obstetrics is a medical science which primarily focuses on the treatment and surgical care of women during pregnancy. This includes prenatal and postnatal care, fertility treatments, and baby delivery. On the other hand, gynecology mainly focuses on women's reproductive health. An obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) can offer all the abovementioned services, including preventive care.
Visits to an OB-GYN are essential to maintaining optimal health. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) suggests that young girls schedule their first visit with a gynecologist or OB-GYN between the ages of 13 and 15.
It is also essential to ensure that preteens and teenagers have a space to feel comfortable discussing topics like periods, sex, and birth control with the adults and caregivers in their lives. It can help keep young girls and women healthy and prevent them from gathering misinformation online. OB-GYNs can also help educate parents with adolescent girls to guide them better and ensure they are healthy.
Women can visit an OB-GYN for the following:
- If patients are entering puberty and have concerns like severe acne, an OB-GYN can offer treatments and educate them on hygiene.
- They can get preventive screenings like breast and cervical cancer tests.
- They can get evaluated for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and access the proper treatment. An OB-GYN will also help them lower their risk of STIs and recommend preventative vaccines like the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
- They can get care for issues like pelvic pain, vaginal discharge, vaginal itching, and infections.
- They can discuss everything regarding their periodic cycle and ask questions like whether their periods are regular, how to relieve painful cramps, why their periods are too heavy, and learn ways to deal with premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
- They can also discuss the ideal time to start a family and their options for conceiving, birth control options, infertility treatment options like IVF (In-vitro fertilization), labor and birthing options, genetic testing, and screenings.
- They can also discuss mental health issues like postpartum depression with their doctor.
- Other than treating issues related to the body, OB-GYNs also offer support and resources to women who might be facing domestic violence at home and people who are figuring out their gender identity.
Thus, an OB-GYN is one of the most crucial practitioners female patients can visit. If you or anyone in your family needs help finding an in-network provider, you can directly search for an OB-GYN who takes UnitedHealthcare on Zocdoc.
Does UnitedHealthcare cover preventive care services for women?
Yes, UnitedHealthcare offers preventive and diagnostic services for women. Certain preventive services (as specified by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) may be provided without cost to the patient. These are based on the patient's age and other health factors.
UnitedHealthcare also offers coverage for other routine and diagnostic (non-preventive) services. However, patients may have to pay a copayment, coinsurance, or deductible. They should refer to their specific plan for benefits and limitations to know more.
Some covered preventive services by a United Healthcare OB-GYN near you may include:
- Well-woman visits, including routine prenatal visits
- Breast cancer medications for women who are at high risk of breast cancer
- Cervical cancer screenings (Pap smear test) for women aged between 21 and 65 years old
- Sexually transmitted infection (STI) screenings. For example, chlamydia and gonorrhea screening tests are provided for women who are sexually active and are 24 years old or younger and older women who are at high risk.
- FDA-approved contraceptive methods for women, including education and counseling
- Human papillomavirus DNA testing for women aged 30 years old or older
- Mammography screenings
- Osteoporosis screenings for women who are 65 and older and younger women who may be at high risk
- Rh incapability screenings during pregnancy
- Bacteriuria screenings during pregnancy
- Provision of support and supplies during pregnancy and after birth. This service may also include a personal-use electric breast pump.
- Counseling for breastfeeding
- Counseling for pregnant or postpartum women at risk for perinatal depression
- Gestational diabetes mellitus screenings during pregnancy
- Behavioral counseling for healthy weight and weight gain during pregnancy
- Nutrition counseling for pregnant women
- Anxiety screenings for women during a wellness examination
- Urinary incontinence screenings for women during wellness examinations
- Screenings for intimate partner violence for women during wellness examinations
How to find an OB-GYN who takes UnitedHealthcare near you in San Antonio, Texas?
On Zocdoc, one can easily find United Healthcare OB-GYNs near them, right in their neighborhood or area, without leaving their home. Book a virtual or in-person consultation in just a few minutes! To book a consultation today, visit the Zocdoc website and enter your location, condition or symptoms, and insurance plan. Then, filter the displayed results by the time of day, gender, hospital affiliation, whether they see children, and spoken languages. To help you make an informed decision, Zocdoc provides each healthcare provider's medical background, including awards and certifications.
You can also choose an OB-GYN in your network. Zocdoc's extensive list of providers accepts various insurance carriers. To check which providers accept your insurance, enter your carrier and plan in the drop-down menu at the top of the page or directly search for your carrier. For example, you may specifically search for an OB-GYN who takes UnitedHealthcare in San Antonio, TX.
If you cannot find your particular plan, upload your insurance card. Zocdoc will then scan the image of your card and show you a plan that matches best. Note this is only applicable to medical insurance cards. Dental and vision are excluded. If you need help uploading your card or have other unanswered questions, contact Zocdoc's service team. You can go through Zocdoc's patient help center for more insurance-related information. If you're just getting started with insurance and need help understanding technical and confusing jargon, read Zocdoc's Health Insurance 101 guide.
All bookings on Zocdoc are fast, free, and secure!
Women's health and health insurance in San Antonio, Texas
According to a 2021 Maternal/Child Health Report released by the City of San Antonio, the birth rate for Bexar County (including San Antonio) and Texas did not change much compared to the previous year. From 2018 to 2021, Bexar County continued to exceed Texas and the United States in the proportion of mothers receiving prenatal care in the first trimester. In 2021, nearly 9.6% of mothers had gestational diabetes, 2.2% had an STI during pregnancy, 10.3% had gestational hypertension, and about 35.7% had a C-section delivery and received WIC (women, infants, and children) support. An estimated 62.7% of all mothers who had given birth had Medicaid as their primary payment. In 2021, the rates of chlamydia were higher in females (874.4) than males (504.9) in Bexar County.
According to one-year American Community Survey (ACS) estimates collated by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2022, nearly 611,749 out of 726,598 women in San Antonio City had health insurance, while approximately 114,849 did not. The age group of 26 to 34 had the highest number of women (28,303) without health insurance coverage.
How many people does UnitedHealthcare serve in Texas?
UnitedHealthcare currently serves approximately 4,711,405 members in Texas, including employers, employees, and families. Nearly 146,500 providers are available within the UnitedHealthcare network, and about 32,000 UnitedHealthcare employees are present in Texas communities.
Sources
National Association of Counties
UnitedHealthcare[1]
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UnitedHealth Group
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WebMD
Penn Medicine
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists[1]
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists[2]
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists[3]
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists[4]
Houston Methodist
UChicago Medicine
Census Data[1]
Census Data[2]
City of San Antonio[1]
City of San Antonio[2]
mySidewalk
Zocdoc
