Expansion builds on low‑severity behavioral health offerings, including Calm Health, and in-the-moment support

Company Website: https://www.uhc.com
-- (Business Wire)

UnitedHealthcare has expanded access to its child and family behavioral coaching program to approximately 13 million eligible members, increasing availability of early behavioral health support for children, teens and caregivers through its commercial plans.

The coaching program is intended to help support families with low-severity behavioral health concerns, with a focus on early intervention and education. The expansion follows increased interest from employers and families in behavioral health support options.

UnitedHealthcare initially made the coaching program available for purchase to select self-funded employers in 2023, and the 2026 expansion extends access to an additional 5 million members at no added cost for employers with fully insured plans. With more than 500 employers now offering coaching, approximately 13 million eligible commercial members have access to the program.

The coaching program offers early intervention for common behavioral health concerns, including providing support and education for mild to moderate anxiety, ADHD, bullying, depression and sleep difficulties.

Program features include:

• Up to four virtual coaching sessions per month
• Appointments available within 48 hours
• Unlimited secure messaging and educational resources
• Access to national board-certified health and wellness coaches under the supervision of licensed clinicians
• Referrals to licensed clinicians when higher-level care is needed

The program primarily serves younger populations, with an average participant age of 12. Initial data from a February 2026 UnitedHealthcare report, analyzing data from 2023-2025, indicates positive changes in reported symptoms for anxiety and depression after utilizing the coaching program. The program has also earned an excellent Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 76, reflecting high member satisfaction.

“Early intervention can make a meaningful difference in a person’s mental health journey,” said Dr. Donald Tavakoli, national medical director for behavioral health at UnitedHealthcare. “Individuals who receive support for low severity behavioral concerns early on may be less likely to develop more serious conditions later. Expanding access to coaching may help families understand and address their concerns sooner.”

The child and family behavioral coaching program is part of UnitedHealthcare’s growing suite of behavioral health offerings designed to help support people in their mental health journey. Additional low-severity offerings include:

• Calm Health – An evidence-based mental health app offering personalized resources, including mental health screenings, coaching and therapy referrals, and daily self-care content. A UnitedHealthcare analysis found that among engaged members that completed two or more assessments, nearly 40% experienced improvement in both depression and anxiety symptoms.
• In-the-moment support – Available 24/7 by phone, in-the-moment support provides confidential, emotional support from a team of master’s level specialists with no appointment necessary, at no additional cost to members. Specialists aim to help members address or de-escalate issues in real time by providing support in the moment they need it, whether related to relationship challenges, workplace stress or family concerns. Specialists may also help support members on next steps and offer recommendations for ongoing care. According to a UnitedHealthcare analysis, 57% of members who use in-the-moment support do not have a behavioral-health related claim within 90 days.

“This expansion reflects a broader effort to help make early access to behavioral health support easier,” said Rebecca Madsen, CEO of advocacy, behavioral and clinical for UnitedHealthcare. “By expanding our low severity offerings, our goal is to help families navigate mental health concerns before they escalate — and providing employers with additional options to support employees and their families.”

UnitedHealthcare supports members through one of the industry’s largest behavioral health networks, consisting of more than 518,000 providers, including over 297,000 virtual providers. Additionally, specially trained advocates are available to help members understand their benefits — connecting people to the right care at the right time.

UnitedHealthcare members can learn more about their behavioral health benefits by visiting myuhc.com.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the healthcare experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with physicians, care professionals, hospitals and other care facilities. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified healthcare company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow UnitedHealthcare on LinkedIn.

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Contacts:

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Source: UnitedHealthcare Group