UHC Supports Health Equity for Disabled Members Through Program Investments

UnitedHealthcare invested in an organization that promotes health equity for individuals with disabilities.

The payer put $5 million toward The Multi-Assistance Center (MAC) at Morgan’s Wonderland. Morgan’s Wonderland is a theme park designed to serve people with special needs. The MAC answers medical and non-medical demands. Its services address therapeutic, social, and medical needs in partnership and alignment with community-based organizations.

More specifically, the payer’s investment will go toward two programs: the Employment Support Center and the Practice Without Pressure program.

The Employment Support Center provides counseling and education to individuals with disabilities to help them succeed in the workplace. The center also aims to connect individuals who have disabilities with agencies like the Texas Workforce Commission and it educates employers on how to hire and retain workers who are in this patient population.

“Individuals with disabilities often get very fragmented and uncoordinated health care, which causes many barriers to well-being,” said Allan Castro, chief executive officer of the MAC at Morgan’s Wonderland. “Through this collaboration, we are helping ensure that special-needs individuals of all ages have a place where they can find the integrated medical and non-medical services that they need.”

The Practice Without Pressure program helps individuals with disabilities become more comfortable with medical tests and procedures.

For example, blood draws, dental work, and other medical services can be stressful experiences for patients with disabilities. Sometimes, providers have to restrain or sedate patients to perform these processes. Practice Without Pressure workers will help caregivers, providers, and individuals with special needs have a better experience with these necessary healthcare services.

“This is a unique opportunity for UnitedHealthcare to help break two significant barriers to equity for people with disabilities — access to health care and stable employment — through a single partnership,” said Donald Langer, chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Texas. “It is at the core of our mission to help people live healthier lives by giving them the support they need, and better care and employment outcomes are big components of that.”

In Texas specifically, around a quarter of the state’s residents have disabilities, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Eleven percent of these residents have a mobility disability and the same share have a cognition disability. Six percent have independent living, hearing, and vision disabilities, respectively. Disability healthcare costs add up to nearly a third of the state’s healthcare spending at $56.7 billion per year.

Health insurers cannot forget this vulnerable population in their efforts to improve health equity.

Medicaid has been a particularly valuable resource for individuals with disabilities. Disabled Medicaid beneficiaries have benefitted from transitioning to managed care models. However, people with disabilities and seniors are at risk for losing Medicaid coverage following the public health emergency, studies have shown.