UnitedHealthcare Supports People Affected By Los Angeles Regional Wildfires

Updates to this ongoing crisis will be posted and will be provided to you as they become available.

UnitedHealthcare is taking immediate action to ensure customers and members are supported as the Los Angeles, Calif., regional wildfires continue to spread. This information applies to affected individuals enrolled in fully insured health plans with effective dates as noted and includes help for the broader community.

Situation: On Jan. 7, a large fire was reported in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, Calif. Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order ahead of potential impacts from the Los Angeles regional fire. Since then, the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Hurst Fire, and Sunset Fire have continued to spread. Evacuation orders and warnings are in place for several zones, and evacuation centers have been established to assist those affected.
Response period: Jan. 7 through Jan. 21
Impacted counties: Los Angeles, Ventura

Optum emotional support line: Optum Leadership agrees to communicate the availability of the Optum emotional support line for the impacted communities.
- Pharmacy overrides: Exception-based early refills

All UnitedHealthcare members

Affected members can call the customer care number on their ID card if they need additional assistance.

UnitedHealthcare app: People enrolled in employer-sponsored and individual health plans who have a smartphone can download the UnitedHealthcare app (at no additional cost), which enables them to access their ID card, review and manage prescription medications, locate nearby network care providers and facilities, view account information and more. The app also enables eligible plan participants to directly schedule and conduct a Virtual Visit with a clinician* and arrange a callback from a UnitedHealthcare customer service advocate.** The app is available now for download for Android™ and Apple® devices to people enrolled in UnitedHealthcare health benefit plans.

*Additional out-of-pocket costs may be required for telemedicine services, depending on the plan and any applicable state requirements.
**Most UnitedHealthcare employer-sponsored plan participants have access to the callback feature.

Retiree Group Medicare members

As part of the UHC contract and CMS provisions UnitedHealthcare has taken the following actions as part of our commitments to helping Group retiree Medicare members impacted by such a disaster.
• Access to Care: Members who may have been displaced from their homes or whose network provider or medical facility is inaccessible can access care anywhere, as needed and it will be covered at their in-network benefit level.
• Prescription Medications: Members who need help obtaining early prescription refills may work with their pharmacy who can obtain an override on their behalf, or they can contact the Customer Care number on the back of their ID card. For mail-order delivery service to affected areas or any other questions related to their prescriptions, members can contact the pharmacy number on the back of their ID card and discuss their situation for assistance, obtaining a local supply, if necessary, and more.
• For Additional Assistance: Members can call the Customer Care number on the back of their medical ID card, if they need additional assistance. If they have misplaced their medical ID card, they can call 866-633-2446, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. (in the local time zone), Monday through Friday, or visit retiree.uhc.com to request a new ID card and print a temporary ID card to use while waiting for their new ID card to arrive.

We will continue to review the need to offer this support.

Help for broader community

Optum is offering a free emotional-support help line to affected individuals. The toll-free number is 866-447-3573. This line will be open Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. CST for two weeks from the date of the event. The service is free of charge and open to anyone. Callers may also receive referrals to community resources. Along with the toll-free help line, emotional-support resources and information are available online at www.liveandworkwell.com.  

Public support line

Optum has opened a public support line for two calendar weeks as noted above. This support line can be utilized by the public for emotional and/or practical support and is completely confidential.
Additionally, LADWP members can go to optumwellbeing.com – a public-facing website with helpful resources for both crisis and non-crisis support. From that site, scroll through various article topics all focused on what members may be experiencing during a natural disaster to find the right resources.
- Impacted members are encouraged to use the public support line – 866-447-3573 – which is open for two calendar weeks after each reported event and is completely confidential. While anyone can use this public line, clients are encouraged to promote their specific vendor’s EAP phone number.
- Optumwellbeing.com is a public website that all employees can access to find resources to help navigate difficult situations.