Supporting Hurricane Helene recovery in North Carolina

At UnitedHealthcare, we are committed to ensuring our employees, members, providers, and the communities we have the privilege to serve have access to the resources and support they need during the recovery phase following Hurricane Helene.

Outreach to members

• We launched our emotional support line: 1-866-447-3573 along with our BH Crisis line
  1-877-334-1141.
• We launched a text campaign to members on Oct. 11 with over 71K member texts.
• We continue a compassionate, robust outbound call campaign to connect with each member to support their immediate needs. To date: 35,566 calls to members and 3,490 additional calls to our most high-risk and vulnerable members.

Charitable donations

• UHC has contributed $1M+ to support essential needs such as food distribution, water, personal hygiene and baby products in impacted counties.
  • Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry to purchase diapers, pull-ups, wipes, feminine products, and adult diapers. $22K
  • Ripe for Revival to support meals distribution in identified locations throughout the 25 counties impacted. The funding provided 8 pallets of 252 cases which will supply about 14,112 individual meals. $18K
  • Dementia Alliance of North Carolina for personal care products.  $2K
  • Concert for the Carolinas benefiting those impacted by Hurricane Helene. $75K
• UHC team members have volunteered with organizations including Second Harvest Food Bank, Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, Red Cross and Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry, putting together food boxes and providing clinical services.
• We are launching a canned food drive, winter clothing and hygiene kit collection campaigns and are setting up additional volunteer opportunities within the next three months.

Provider support

• UHC has activated our provider stabilization payment process and has outreached to providers through NCMS along with proactively outreaching to PCPs, FQHCs, RHCs and OB/Gyn providers in the impacted counties. UHC’s provider stabilization information request form will be available on our website and has been shared with provider associations and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. UHC’s stabilization payment process is intended to assist providers in circumstances in which there has been operational disruption and claims payment processing has been impacted. UHC is working with the NCAHP to further streamline processes among PHPs to alleviate provider burden. 
• Our provider hardship payment program addresses hardship claims payments, otherwise known as advance or “hardship” payments, which are made to providers where and when a documented financial hardship has been demonstrated by the provider. UHC’s hardship payment process is intended to assist providers in circumstances in which payment issues between UHC and the contracted providers create a financial hardship.
• We have made $1.7M in Care Management/AMH payments to Western NC providers and are conducting proactive outreach and support to providers currently receiving paper checks to help with EFT registration, ensuring prompt payments.
• Additionally, we have suspended audits and medical records requests.

Operational flexibilities

• UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina is offering benefit flexibility, including early prescription refills; leniency and fee waivers on premium payments; extensions on claims filings; in-network coverage for out-of-network services; suspension of pre-certifications and referrals; and waiving authorization for transfers to skilled nursing facilities.

We know the recovery in western North Carolina will continue for many weeks, months and years.  We remain steadfast in working together, supporting each other, with our top priority of ensuring our staff, members and providers are receiving the resources they need to not only get through this immediate crisis, but thrive in the future.