UnitedHealthcare debuts Avery
UnitedHealthcare rolled out 'Avery,' an AI assistant to help members navigate benefits, claims, and provider networks — a concrete example of carriers investing in member‑facing AI. Industry voices say end‑to‑end claims automation is now mainstream, so Avery is both a service play and a signal that carriers expect AI to cut friction across claims and member support. (investing.com)
UnitedHealthcare unveiled Avery on March 26, 2026, and said the tool is initially available to about 6.5 million employer‑sponsored members and 160,000 Medicare Advantage members, with a rollout target of 20.5 million commercial, Medicare and Medicaid members by the end of 2026. (unitedhealthgroup.com) Avery is described as a generative, natural‑language companion accessible through the UnitedHealthcare mobile app and myuhc.com that provides 24/7 responses, cost estimates, provider search and appointment scheduling — including the ability to call network primary care providers to book visits on a member’s behalf. (uhc.com, beckerspayer.com) UnitedHealth Group framed Avery as one of more than 1,000 AI solutions deployed across its businesses and said it plans to invest $1.6 billion in AI in 2026 as part of broader digital scaling. (unitedhealthgroup.com) The company reported that roughly 90% of members who interact with Avery do not require escalation to a human advocate, and when transfer is needed Avery supplies a full synopsis to the advocate so members aren’t asked to repeat information or re‑upload documents. (streetinsider.com, unitedhealthgroup.com) UnitedHealthcare says Avery operates within formal oversight and governance frameworks and points to a Responsible AI program and privacy safeguards guiding deployments across customer, clinical and administrative use cases. (unitedhealthgroup.com, businessinsider.com) The announcement highlights that Avery supplies customer advocates with real‑time insights into member history and case status to accelerate administrative resolution, with UnitedHealthcare calling that continuity a feature of its integrated service model. (unitedhealthgroup.com)
