UnitedHealthcare provides customer support in new Syracuse office

SYRACUSE — UnitedHealthcare (UHC) has opened a new Syracuse office that functions as a consumer-support center.

The new 1,800-square-foot office is located in the Alpha Medical building at 610 S. Salina St. in Syracuse.

The new site will provide beneficiaries of Medicaid, Medicare, dual eligible special-needs plans (D-SNP), and other plans with “support and information,” UHC said in a news release.

The Syracuse UHC office includes customer-service workers who can answer questions about subscriber benefits and help with other health-insurance-related matters.
The office represents the health insurer’s 13th support center in New York state, Camilo Barrera, regional sales & marketing manager for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, said in his remarks at the formal opening event on May 4.

The office opened for business on Feb. 1, Barrera told CNYBJ after the event. It has 15 full-time employees.

“The center will provide UnitedHealthcare members with Medicaid … Medicare, DSNP, as well as other health plans with support and information about their coverage options,” Rupert Brady, Jr., executive director for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Upstate New York, said in his remarks at the formal-opening event.

People visiting the office will be able to meet with customer-service personnel to discuss their health benefits in both English and Spanish, said Brady.

Staff members will also help consumers identify state and federal programs to help with their other needs, including the EPIC program, Medicare-savings program, New York State food-stamps programs, along with gas and electric subsidies.

“Our staff will also provide Medicare, commercial-sponsored, and individual health-plan participants access to customer-service professionals, who can answer questions about their health-care benefits; assist in resolving claims issues, and help with other health insurance related matters,” said Brady.

The health insurer employs more than 10,000 people in New York state and has more than 4 million subscribers statewide, Barrera said.

UnitedHealthcare is a unit of UnitedHealth Group, Inc. (NYSE: UNH).

About the plans
New York State Medicaid Managed Care is offered through UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, according to the UHC website. It’s for New York residents who meet the income or disability requirements.

UnitedHealthcare Community Plan offers programs for adults and children who may qualify for Medicaid and Child Health Plus. These programs offer “comprehensive” health coverage, including preventive care, primary care, hospitalization, prescriptions and other services, “often with little or no cost,” according to UHC.

Medicaid Managed Care and Family Health Plus are state-government sponsored health-insurance programs, UHC said.

D-SNPs enroll beneficiaries who are entitled to both Medicare (Title XVIII) and Medical Assistance from a state plan under Title XIX (Medicaid), and offer the opportunity of enhanced benefits by combining those available through Medicare and Medicaid, according to a description on the website of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.