Large Insurance Company Will Maintain Obamacare’s Provisions

UnitedHealthcare, the country’s largest health insurer, has announced that it will maintain certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act regardless of whether the Supreme Court overturns the historic reform law. The Court is expected to release its decision by the end of this month.

Whatever the final decision is, UnitedHealthcare has said it will continue to offer free preventative health services, allow young adults to remain on their parents’ insurance until 26 years of age, keep the law’s streamlined appeals process, lift lifetime limits on insurance payouts, and refrain from rescinding coverage if a member becomes ill. Included in the preventative services are birth control and sterilization procedures, but the company has assured consumers that it will respect religious or other groups that do not want to include those services.

In the interest of full disclosure, UnitedHealthcare does provide insurance for URJ employees. We have not spoken with any UnitedHealthcare employees or representatives about Monday’s announcement.

In choosing to continue to offer these consumer protections, UnitedHealthcare sends an important message about the importance of the Affordable Care Act in making Americans healthier. In that sense, the company’s announcement is timely: While many pundits, lawmakers and candidates are posturing as we await the Supreme Court’s ruling, UnitedHealthcare is depoliticizing the debate, allowing us to focus instead on what really matters—the health and well-being of all Americans. Still, the best scenario is one in which the Supreme Court upholds the whole law so that all Americans, especially those with lower incomes and significant health needs, are taken care of.

Photo courtesy of uhc.com