What is the UnitedHealthcare healthy food benefit card?
Asked by: Prof. Cesar Jerde MD | Last update: August 28, 2025Score: 4.5/5 (12 votes)
What can I buy with a UnitedHealthcare healthy food Benefit card?
It is not the same as EBT/SNAP (food stamps). The UHC Healthy Benefits/OTC card covers ALL food other than non-junk/dessert/bakery or pet food (as well as OTC healthcare items and all standard household utilities too).
What does the Healthy Benefits card pay for?
Consumers can spend their benefits on various health-related products and services depending on the program. Examples can include over-the-counter items, select groceries, medical devices, counseling services, nutrition education, fitness equipment, pet food, household supplies, gas, transportation, utilities, etc.
What does the UnitedHealthcare OTC card pay for?
For eligible members with UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans, credits will be loaded to your UnitedHealthcare UCard® to help pay for covered over-the-counter (OTC) products. For select plans, members can also use their credits to help pay for healthy food or eligible utility bills.
What food items can you get with an OTC card?
Examples of approved food items are fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy, rice, pasta, beans, and much more.
Benefits of the UnitedHealthcare UCard®
Can you buy groceries with a healthy benefits card?
Healthy benefits are increasingly being made available through health care providers, technology companies, employers, government agencies, and more. Many of these distributors offer benefits through cards that function like prepaid debit cards, allowing purchases of select grocery items or wellness products.
What does the OTC card pay for?
OTC card eligible items often include health and wellness products, such as cough and cold remedies, vitamins, medical equipment and more. If an item is eligible, the cost of the item is subtracted from an OTC card's available balance at checkout.
Can I get toilet paper with my OTC card?
OTC items are not eligible if they are normally used for general health, are not used to treat a medical condition (e.g. lotion, shampoo (except for products used to treat dandruff), toilet paper, lip balm) or are cosmetic in nature (e.g. teeth whitening products, wrinkle reducers).
Can I buy meat with UnitedHealthcare OTC card?
Buy healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, meat, seafood, dairy products and water. Choose from thousands of OTC products, like first aid, pain relievers and more. Shop at thousands of participating stores, including Walmart, Walgreens, Dollar General, and Kroger, or at neighborhood stores near you.
How often do I get money on my OTC card?
A quarterly OTC spending allowance is pre-loaded to your Benefits Prepaid Card on the first day of each quarter. Unused amounts rollover to the next quarter but must be used by the end of the calendar year.
What can you not buy with a healthy benefits card?
Certain items such as soda, candy, chips, and other junk foods are usually not eligible for purchase with the card. Additionally, alcohol and tobacco products are never allowed to be purchased with a Healthy Benefits card.
What is the health allowance card for groceries?
What is the Medicare Food Allowance Card? The Medicare Food Allowance Card is a benefit offered through certain Medicare Advantage plans, also known as Medicare Part C. This card allows beneficiaries to purchase groceries and other healthy food items, helping to offset the costs of maintaining a nutritious diet.
How do I check my UnitedHealthcare benefits?
Sign in to your member account to manage your benefits, see your claims and account balances, print your health plan ID card and more using tools made for members. Download the UnitedHealthcare® app to view your benefits, health plan ID card and more easily from your mobile device.
What kind of food can you get with UnitedHealthcare?
The UnitedHealthcare healthy food card can be used to purchase a large list of grocery items including milk, fruits and vegetables, eggs, bread, frozen meals, cheese, condiments and more. The list of items you can purchase with a UnitedHealthcare UCard may differ from one retailer to another.
Why won't my Healthy Benefits card work at Walmart?
The benefits card has been used before the 24-hour waiting period after activation is over. The participant has insufficient funds in the benefit account to cover the expense. Non-eligible expenses have been included at the point of sale. (Retry the transaction with the eligible expense only.)
Can I buy gas with my Healthy Benefits card?
This allowance can be used for Over-the Counter (OTC) Items, groceries, home utilities and gas at the pump.
Can I buy gas with my UnitedHealthcare card?
The UCard® gives you access to credit to help pay for healthy food, OTC products and utilities such as gas and electric.
What does the Healthy Benefits card cover?
With Healthy Benefits+, you get an allowance to spend on thousands of lower-priced OTC products, saving you more and making your benefits go further! You can use your benefits to purchase OTC items including allergy medication, cough drops, first aid supplies, oral care, pain relievers, vitamins and more!
Can I pay my water bill with my UCard?
To pay eligible utilities with UCard benefits, customers must call the UnitedHealthcare member services number on the back of their UCard to request payment of their utility bill. Any approved payments will be processed by UnitedHealthcare and sent to eligible utilities on your behalf.
Can I buy laundry detergent with my OTC card?
Use your $25 a month to get items like baby wipes, allergy products, pain relief medicine and more. You can also get everyday items like laundry detergent, soap and toothbrushes.
What can you not buy with UnitedHealthcare UCard?
Rewards cannot be used to purchase Medicare-covered items or services, including medical or prescription drug out-of-pocket costs, or alcohol, tobacco or firearms. Tip: When shopping in-store, use the product scanner in the UnitedHealthcare app to find out if a product is covered.
Does Walmart honor OTC cards?
You can create a Walmart.com account and add your OTC Network card to your wallet or enter your OTC Network card as a payment method during check-out.
What household items can I buy with my OTC card?
- Nicotine replacement therapy items.
- Band aids and first aid supplies.
- Food scales.
- Oral hygiene care products.
- OTC antibiotic creams/ointments.
- OTC antihistamines and allergy sprays.
- OTC cold/cough/flu drugs.
- OTC pain relievers.
How much is the OTC benefit?
OTC benefits are typically structured on an allowance basis where an enrollee is provided an allotted annual, quarterly, or monthly allowance with quarterly allowances being the most common. On an annualized basis, the average allowance per enrollee in 2021 was $400.
What does OTC card not cover?
What does the OTC card not cover? A Medicare plan with an OTC allowance typically does not cover prescription medications, alcohol, tobacco products, cosmetics or items for general household use. Additionally, it usually cannot be used to purchase gift cards or pay for services such as doctor visits and lab tests.