Health Insurance (UnitedHealth) restricting Vitamin D payments to only a few diseases

UnitedHealthCare Community Plan of California Changing its Vitamin D Testing Reimbursement Policy

Also recently changed Michigan, Missouri, NY, Ohio, Florida

I was unable to find the list of approved diseases in 30 minutes of hunting on their website or the Endocrinology Publication

“American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and The American College of Endocrinology, “Reasonable approaches to vitamin D assessment and treatment include an initial measurement of 25(OH)D in patients at risk of deficiency, or alternatively, vitamin D supplementation and subsequent 25(OH)D measurement 3-4 months later to assess dose adequacy”

THE USE OF VITAMINS AND MINERALS IN SKELETAL HEALTH: AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGISTS AND THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF ENDOCRINOLOGY POSITION STATEMENT

PDF is available free at Sci-Hub   10.4158/PS-2018-0050

This large health insurer appears to be following the unfortunate lead of Canada, US, Australia, and many other countries

Reduce short-term costs by reducing Vitamin D testing to a minimum

Only permit Vitamin D testing for a few major health problems such as rickets and broken bones

This eliminates the huge cost savings which would result from preventing those and many other problems

• Child died in hospital, death due to low vitamin D, mother is suing hospital – Nov 2018

• Vitamin D testing at home – for as little as 50 dollars on Amazon

• UK considers Vitamin D tests appropriate for only 4 existing health problems, – June 2018

• Low-cost Vitamin D testers (two yes-no tests for 11 dollars) - 2024

  • Not yet approved by the US FDA

  • unitl it is approved, the Vitamin D tests in hospitals often costs $200

• Mandatory Vitamin D screening for all patients – vitamin D conference in Middle East – March 2017

  • Conclusion at a Vitamin D concerence - not govt policy

• Japanese need at least 30 ng of Vitamin D, test costs are now reimbursed – Nov 2016

  • Japan is going against the flow

• France restricts Vitamin D testing to 4 health problems, paper proposes 5 more – Nov 2016