New online resource allows users of all ages to quickly determine whether they qualify for income-based programs that could cover critical living expenses — and helps them to apply

Uno Health, a service that uses technology to increase access to critical benefits and unlock savings for lower-income Americans, today announced the launch of the Uno Savings Guide. The free resource, intended to help people of all ages — including Medicare and Medicaid members — features a self-service tool to determine eligibility for key financial benefit programs and a personalized guide that estimates potential savings and helps simplify the application process.

Thirty-eight million Americans live on less than $15,000 a year. Medical savings and financial benefits through state and federal programs — averaging $4,500 per year for Uno’s members — can make the difference in being able to afford basic necessities like rent and food, as well as medicines, preventive healthcare and critical medical services. This type of assistance has never been more crucial in the face of recent reductions in Medicare benefits and likely Medicaid cuts in 2025.

Uno's Savings Guide takes the complex process of identifying eligible benefits and distills it into a set of questions that takes 30 seconds to answer. Users instantly learn which income-based programs they likely qualify for, including Medicaid, Medicare Savings Programs, SNAP (food stamps), utility, prescription and phone assistance, along with estimates of how much they could save. The guide provides direct links to the specific application forms needed for each program, coupled with personalized tips and tricks to successfully enroll, all informed by Uno's years of experience helping thousands of members to navigate state and federal benefits.

“With looming Medicare pullbacks and an uncertain policy landscape under the new administration, this resource is designed to help people access every bit of assistance they’re entitled to,” said Anna de Paula Hanika, Uno Health’s founder and CEO. “By drastically simplifying a process that can be overwhelming, intimidating and outright confusing, we help people gain access to benefits that help them afford both their basic expenses and healthcare. No one should have to choose between buying groceries and medicine — but today far too many lower-income Americans of all ages face that reality every day. The situation is only expected to get more dire as the cost of living and health care continue to rise.”

In addition to helping individuals afford basic necessities, the Uno Savings Guide aims to close the widening gap between the number of people who qualify for public assistance and those who are actually enrolled. Billions of dollars in benefits go unused each year as 50% to 70% of individuals who qualify for benefits are not receiving them.

Available in English and Spanish, the tool is now live in New York, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Missouri, with planned expansion to states including New Jersey, California, Minnesota and Oregon in the near future.

The Uno Savings Guide leverages Uno’s rules engine, which ingests complicated program rules for each state and translates them into a simple set of questions. The same eligibility checker is used for Uno’s contracted partners, who then also receive support through the entire complex enrollment process supported by technology that includes:

• The ability to streamline hundreds of possible documents into the minimum set needed to satisfy all programs someone is eligible for
• A user-facing portal that makes it easy to upload this minimal set of documents required, along with any additional data required by Uno to complete and submit applications on a beneficiary’s behalf
• Technology that automatically extracts data from documents to complete applications and minimizes information requests from beneficiaries

By launching a public version of its technology, Uno aims to help more Americans get enrolled in critical assistance programs during a time of rising healthcare costs and economic uncertainty.

“Giving the public free access to these resources is an extension of Uno's mission to enable as many eligible Americans as possible to access the best healthcare coverage for the lowest cost. This launch also represents Uno expanding to support the younger, non-Medicare population,” said de Paula Hanika. "We look forward to expanding into more states and more programs in 2025 to streamline access to these critical programs.”

About Uno Health

Uno Health is a tech-enabled service that connects people with the financial assistance programs they’re eligible for, unlocking thousands of dollars for lower-income Americans with Medicaid, Medicare Savings Programs, Low Income Subsidy, SNAP, utility assistance, Lifeline and more. These savings can translate to better lives and improved health outcomes. Founder and CEO Anna de Paula Hanika was inspired by her work at Clover Health, where she experienced firsthand how critical leveraging these programs was to achieving many of the Medicare Advantage plans’ goals.

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