UnitedHealthcare to Support Rural Hospitals with Accelerated Medicare Advantage Payments, Providing Immediate Cash-Flow Relief

UnitedHealth to cut Medicare payment timelines (UNH:NYSE)

UnitedHealth (UNH) stock is in focus as the company's insurance arm plans to cut Medicare Advantage payment timelines by 50% in rural hospitals. Read more here.

UnitedHealthcare to Support Rural Hospitals with Accelerated Medicare Advantage Payments, Providing Immediate Cash-Flow Relief

-(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 14, 2026-

UHG launches pilot program for rural hospitals in 4 states to cut MA payment collection times by half

UnitedHealth Group announced Jan. 14 that it launched a six-month pilot program to reduce Medicare Advantage payment processing times by half for rural hospitals in four states. The program, called the Rural Payment Acceleration Pilot, seeks to reduce payment timelines from less than 30 days to less than 15, on average. The company said participating hospitals were selected “through criteria intended to maximize impact and guide future rural-foc…

Rural hospitals in 4 states get faster Medicare payments to ease crunch

Six-month UnitedHealthcare pilot in OK, ID, MN and MO cuts Medicare Advantage payment times for rural hospitals by 50%, easing cash-flow strain.