UnitedHealthcare pitches integrated benefits, pharmacy savings and five-day behavioral-health access in Hillsborough County RFP review

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY — UnitedHealthcare and its OptumRx division presented their proposal on behalf of UnitedHealth Group on Oct. 12 during the evaluation committee meeting for RFP 24-24912, the county’s request for proposals for a self‑funded group health plan administered for the Human Resources Department.

The vendor told the committee it offers a Choice Plus provider network that it said covers roughly 98–99% of the county’s current providers, an expanded behavioral‑health network with an "Express Access" option that guarantees an initial appointment within five days, and pharmacy integration tools intended to reduce specialty drug costs and increase generic dispensing. UnitedHealthcare also proposed a one‑time credit of $700,000 in year one and $175,000 annually afterward, and said it met a 13.5% MWBE spend target included in the RFP.

Committee members heard specifics on financial and operational items that matter to a self‑funded employer: UnitedHealthcare said its administration would run on an ASO model with no capitated behavioral‑health or radiology charges included in its claims reporting. OptumRx described pharmacy interventions intended to reduce net pharmacy spend, including moving certain brand prescriptions to generics and using biosimilar substitutes where appropriate. The firm also described its Surest program, a variable‑copay approach that steers members to…