Payer Directory

How to check UnitedHealthcare eligibility

A portal or phone check takes a front-desk staffer 10–15 minutes per patient. A real-time 270/271 check returns plan status, copays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket maximums in seconds.

Payer ID 87726Real-time 270/271Commercial✓ Response verified July 2026

Three ways to verify UnitedHealthcare coverage

Payer portal — free, but one patient at a time and 10–15 minutes each with logins.
Phone (IVR) — hold times vary; no written record for the chart.
Automated 270/271 check — full benefit detail in seconds, batched for the whole schedule, from $0.50 per check.

UnitedHealthcare at a glance

What billers need before running a check.

Payer ID

87726

Also known as 00198, 10002, 10122, 10187

Real-time eligibility

Available

Responses return in 1.1 seconds, 24/7.

Coverage

dental, medical, vision

Commercial

Operating area

Nationwide

Payer website

www.uhc.com

What a live UnitedHealthcare check returns

Documented from real 271 eligibility responses. This is the actual level of detail — not a marketing summary.

Eligibility response · UnitedHealthcare (87726)271 · 1.1s

Coverage

Plan statusACTIVE Gold Plan HMO

Primary care providerASSIGNED Named in the response

Network restrictionsRESTRICTED Services restricted to listed providers

Cost sharing

Individual deductible remaining$0

Family out-of-pocket max$3,000 calendar year · $925 year to date

Coinsurance · copayReturned per service type

Sample response structure from a real-time check. Amounts and dates vary per patient; no real patient data is shown.

Why this matters: UnitedHealthcare is one of the few payers that returns the assigned primary care provider and network restrictions in the eligibility response — the two things that turn an otherwise covered visit into a denial.

Supported transactions

What can be exchanged electronically with UnitedHealthcare today.

Transaction	Status
Eligibility (270/271) Real-time benefit and coverage checks	SUPPORTED
Claim status (276/277) Where a submitted claim stands	SUPPORTED
Professional claims (837P) Physician and outpatient claims	SUPPORTED
Institutional claims (837I) Facility claims	SUPPORTED
Dental claims (837D) Dental claims	NOT AVAILABLE
Remittance (835 ERA) Electronic remittance advice	ENROLLMENT REQUIRED
Coordination of benefits Secondary-payer routing	SUPPORTED
Claim attachments (275) Supporting documentation	SUPPORTED

Portal vs. phone vs. automated

The same verification, three ways.

	Payer portal	Phone / IVR	Automated check
Time per patient	10–15 min	15–30 min	Seconds
Cost per check	~$6.72 staff time*	~$6.72+ staff time*	from $0.50
Record for the chart	Screenshot	None	Full audit trail
Whole-day schedule	One at a time	One at a time	Batched overnight

*CAQH Index benchmark for a manual eligibility verification.

Frequently asked questions

What is the payer ID for UnitedHealthcare?+

UnitedHealthcare uses payer ID 87726. It also appears as 00198, 10002, 10122, 10187 in some systems.

Does UnitedHealthcare support real-time eligibility verification?+

Yes. UnitedHealthcare accepts real-time 270/271 eligibility transactions, so a check returns plan status and benefit detail in seconds instead of the 10–15 minutes a portal login takes.

How long does a UnitedHealthcare eligibility check take?+

A portal check takes 10–15 minutes of staff time per patient. An automated real-time check returns in seconds and can run for an entire day's schedule overnight.

Does UnitedHealthcare return the primary care provider on an eligibility check?+

Yes. UnitedHealthcare's 271 response includes the member's assigned primary care provider and any provider-network restrictions, so you can confirm the patient is in-network before the visit rather than after the denial.