A Company Giving Back: The UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation Story

Healthcare is expensive. This is why many people invest in healthcare policies or look for jobs with great healthcare benefits. Unfortunately, there are many conditions and diseases that are not fully covered by health insurance, while some are not covered at all. Many of these conditions affect children and having to shoulder the expenses of getting treatment for a child despite having health coverage can be really frustrating for many people. UnitedHealthcare, a health insurance company, set up the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation (UHCCF) to help their customers pay for medical services for their children that are not covered in part or in full by their policies.

The UHCCF is a non-profit organization that operates on the concept of giving the children of policy-holders access to medical care and other health care services that are not covered by commercial policies from UnitedHealthcare. The services covered under the UHCCF grants can potentially improve the child’s health or quality of life. Some examples of the services covered by the grants include speech and physical therapy, prescriptions, wheelchairs, hearing aids, and other medical equipment needed by the child. Those who wish to apply for UHCCF grants need to meet the application criteria like economic guidelines, residency, and commercial plan coverage.

The UHCCF was incorporated in 1999 in Maryland to give financial assistance to the dependents of their policy holders who are aged 16 and under in order to get the medical services that they need. By 2006, the UHCCF grants became available in all 50 states. Since 2007, the UHCCF has awarded grants worth over $26 million to the children of those covered by their individual or employer-sponsored policies. As a non-profit organization, the UHCCF relies heavily on corporate sponsorships and donations in order to be able to pay for the services they give to qualified grant applicants.