UnitedHealthcare is rolling out a new benefit to encourage preventive cancer screenings.
The insurer’s new breast and colon cancer detection benefit will be available for eligible commercial plans starting Jan. 1, 2026. Through the program, UHC will cover members’ first diagnostic imaging tests for breast cancer and diagnostic tests for colon cancer.
This closes a care gap, UHC said, as follow-up testing may not be classified as a preventive service, which can lead to costs the member does not expect. Rhonda Randall, D.O., chief medical officer of UHC’s commercial business, told Fierce Healthcare in interview that concerns about costs can lead patients to skip key preventive services.
“We wanted to do remove that real or perceived barrier for beneficiaries,” Randall said.
For example, about half of routine colonoscopies identify polyps that lead to follow-up testing, and 11% of mammogram screenings lead to additional imaging tests, both of which can draw higher costs if the resulting diagnostics are not covered as preventive.
Under the new benefit, both the initial preventive screenings and follow-up testing will be covered at in-network providers, the insurer said.
Cancer and associated care costs are a key focus area for employers, and Randall said an interest in encouraging preventive screenings comes up frequently in conversations with plan sponsors.
She said that some cancers, including breast and colon tumors, are being detected more frequently in younger patients, which is also a key concern for employers. Recent data from UnitedHealth’s America’s Health Rankings report show that 16% of breast cancer diagnoses are in women under age 50.
In addition, the report found that colon cancer diagnoses in people aged 18 to 50 have increased by 15% since 2004.
Randall added that benefits like this fit into a broader approach to cancer care that includes member-facing supports as well as tools designed for providers at the point of care. The insurer can also deploy broad data sets employers can use to monitor risks within their specific populations.
With those data, they can then design campaigns to encourage employees to seek routine screenings or connect with individuals with addressable risk factors for certain cancers, such as obese individuals or smokers.
An insurer the size of UHC has a “unique ability” to offer insights in this way, Randall said.
“For employers we have the ability to take extremely large data sets of healthcare experiences, healthcare outcomes, healthcare costs and break them down at a subpopulation level,” she said.