UNITED HEALTHCARE: OFFERS SOME MEMBERS ALTERNATIVE CARE
Responding to consumer demand for coverage of alternative
medicine, United HealthCare Corp. said yesterday that it will
begin offering such coverage to its California members, Bloomberg
News/Baltimore Sun reports. While enrollees will not need
referrals to obtain the services, they will be required to pay an
additional charge. United HealthCare will cover acupuncture,
massage therapy, herbal remedies and other alternative medicine.
The managed care giant, which has more than 40 million members
nationwide, has hired San Diego-based American Specialty Health
Plans to provide the services. United HealthCare's move is the
latest by managed care companies to provide alternative services,
Bloomberg/Sun reports. In October, Oxford Health Plans Inc.
"became the first company to offer a network of alternative"
practitioners and "many plans," including Kaiser Permanente and
Aetna/U.S. Healthcare Inc., already cover chiropractic care. The
arrangement is subject to approval by the California Department
of Corporations (6/13).
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