AHA urges UnitedHealthcare to backtrack on new lab test policy

The AHA today urged UnitedHealthcare to forgo a new coverage policy for laboratory tests that the association believes is burdensome and negatively impacts patients’ access to care.
UHC recently announced it will require in-network, freestanding and outpatient laboratory claims to contain a laboratory specific, unique code for the overwhelming majority of laboratory testing services.
AHA told UHC in a letter to not move forward with the policy, which is to take effect Jan. 1, 2021. “UHC has not provided a rationale for this decision, nor has it justified the potential negative consequences,” AHA wrote.
Related News Articles
Headline
The Census Bureau reported (https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2025/demo/acsbr-024.pdf) that the uninsured rate increased nationally to 8.2% in 2024…
Headline
Newsweek’s Access Health newsletter today features a conversation with AHA Chair Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health in Michigan, where…
Perspective
Congress returns to Washington, D.C., this week facing a long list of things to do, including several that will impact hospitals’ ability to provide access to…
Headline
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Center Sept. 2 announced changes to the Achieving Healthcare Efficiency through Accountable Design…
Headline
The House Appropriations Committee today released the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education,…
Headline
Analysis projects increases in state uninsured rates following passage of budget reconciliation bill
A KFF analysis published Aug. 20 provides a state-by-state allocation of Congressional Budget Office estimates that 10 million people could be uninsured by…