UnitedHealth’s Experimental PCP-Integration Program, Harken Health, to Shut Down in 2017

Harken Health, an experimental business model piloted by UnitedHealth, has announced it will shut down in 2017, according to a report in The Chicago Tribune.

Launched in 2015, Harken Health offered a combination of health insurance and primary care at brick-and-mortar clinics in Georgia and Illinois. Patients who enrolled through Harken Health were offered a unique health care experience, including: unlimited amount of free primary care visits, as well as access to preventive and wellness services like acupuncture, yoga, and meditation. 

The model, known as “relationship-based” primary care, also helped to connect patients with in-network specialists. The patient-centered model encouraged patients to engage in care by eliminating coinsurance payments—only requiring copays for prescription medications.

Harken Health is shutting its doors after parent company United Health announced it would fully pull out of the ACA marketplaces. The experimental care integration business reduced its presence in Illinois and Georgia after losing $64 million. According to the Tribune report, Harken Health also recently received a $120 million infusion from UnitedHealth. 

Harken Health announced that they will continue to cover current members through the rest of 2017, and will continue to cover members enrolled in employer-based coverage through the end of their contracts. Harken Health provides health insurance for approximately 26,000 members in Illinois and 8600 in Georgia. Harken Health stopped offering plans on the ACA marketplace in 2016, but continued to enroll patients through individual markets and employer-based contracts. —David Costill