UnitedHealthcare and Canopy Health Introduce ‘California Doctors Plan’ in Nine Bay Area Counties
UnitedHealthcare and Canopy Health have introduced a new health plan that offers consumers in Northern California personalized customer support as well as the opportunity to save up to 25% on premiums.
As the latest addition to a portfolio of health plans the two organizations have launched together, the California Doctors Plan provides access to health care for people with employer-sponsored health coverage in nine Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma.
Canopy Health is an integrated, high-performing accountable care network of providers and health systems in the Bay Area.
UnitedHealthcare established a product partnership with Canopy Health in 2017 to give commercial members enrolled in the SignatureValue HMO plan access to the network from a variety of physicians and hospitals across the Bay Area but at a lower premium than a traditional HMO plan. UnitedHealthcare and Canopy Health expanded their relationship earlier this year with the launch of the UnitedHealthcare Canopy Health Medicare Advantage plan.
The California Doctors Plan is the latest addition to the portfolio of health plans that have resulted from the collaboration between the companies. UnitedHealthcare members in Northern California enrolled in these plans have access to more than 5,000 physicians and 19 hospitals in Canopy Health’s network, which includes UCSF, John Muir Health, John Muir Medical Group, Hill Physicians Medical Group, Meritage Medical Network, Santa Clara County IPA (SCCIPA) and Dignity Health Medical Network – Santa Cruz.
Supported by a collaborative network of providers dedicated to delivering cost-effective and evidence-based care, the California Doctors Plan offers plan participants the opportunity to save up to 25% on premiums compared to a traditional PPO offering as well as $0 co-pays for primary care and urgent care, 24/7 telehealth visits, and care coordination driven by a patient’s primary care physician.
To enhance the customer experience, UnitedHealthcare has developed a service team that provides personalized concierge support for members enrolled in the California Doctors Plan, Signature Value HMO plan and UnitedHealthcare Canopy Health Medicare Advantage plan. Located in Chico, the customer care advocates have access to relevant patient data from both the provider and health plan, enabling them to handle all of the behind-the-scenes coordination on members’ behalf and to serve as their sole contact until their question is answered or the issue is resolved. This concierge support model better serves members’ needs by removing the hassles of being transferred or having to call back to confirm the status of an issue.
California Doctors Plan members also have access to the resources available to all eligible UnitedHealthcare plan participants, including digital tools at myuhc.com, the UnitedHealthcare app and 24/7 virtual physician visits.
The foundation of the California Doctors Plan is the collaborative relationship between UnitedHealthcare and Canopy Health. Sharing the goal of creating an integrated, personalized and affordable health care experience for people in the Bay Area, the organizations are focused on working together to improve health outcomes while also lowering the total cost of care. As part of an aggressive multi-year plan, Canopy Health and UnitedHealthcare are working to establish a robust data and analytics infrastructure necessary to support advanced population health and value-based care initiatives. They’ve also committed to improving health outcomes through programs that more effectively manage transitions of care and home based palliative care, and are working to create a more personalized digital member experience to make it easier and more convenient for members to manage their health care needs.
In a statement, Mike Robinson, CEO of Canopy Health, said, "Employers are looking for high-quality, cost-effective health plan solutions, and our collaboration with UnitedHealthcare allows us to bring those to the market quickly. We are pleased to work with a partner like UnitedHealthcare that shares our commitment to improving people’s health and quality of life by providing them a better health care experience.”
“In designing the California Doctors Plan, we wanted to not only offer significant cost-savings but also a more personalized, simplified and coordinated care experience that can help people improve their health and well-being,” added Steve Cain, CEO of UnitedHealthcare in Northern California. “Our relationship with Canopy Health is working so well because we share a commitment to providing consumers and employers with high-value health care.”
Canopy Health is a physician- and hospital-owned restricted Knox-Keene licensed provider network, including 19 participating medical centers across 9 Bay Area counties. Visit https://www.canopyhealth.com/en.html.
UnitedHealthcare offers health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1.3 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,500 hospitals and other care facilities in the U.S. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group, a diversified health care company. Visit http://www.www.uhc.com.
