UnitedHealth Announces Plans to Shut Down Free-of-Charge Primary Care Startup

May 2017 ~

UnitedHealth Group has announced plans to shut down its subsidiary insurance startup offering unlimited primary and behavioral care at no charge.

UnitedHealth launched Harken Health in 2015 to experiment an integrated system that combined health insurance and providers. The company had five health clinics in Chicago, Skokie and Des Plaines and offered free primary care visits and wellness programs as well as 24/7 access to physicians through phone, email or video chat.

Harken will close its doors in Illinois and Georgia, ending an experiment to combine health insurance and care. It will continue to cover and provide care for individual-market enrollees through the end of 2017, and will serve employer group members through the end of its contracts.

Source(s): Chicago Tribune; Modern Healthcare; HealthcareDIVE; FierceHealthcare;