New Tools, Same Relationship: What United Healthcare’s AI Additions Mean for Agents
United Healthcare is rolling out new tools for 2027 that take routine work off your plate.
As AI finds its way into nearly every part of the industry, it’s a fair question to ask: does a tool like this start doing your job? Mike Papuc, The Brokerage Inc.’s National Health Sales Director, put that question directly to his guests. Claudia Amaya, who leads United Healthcare’s Central Region and its national Hispanic initiatives, and Sonia Porras, who manages United Healthcare’s DFW, Austin, and North Texas agency relationships, both work closely with agents every day. Sonia didn’t hesitate: “I wouldn’t rely on AI. It’s meant to assist, but you’re the broker. You’re the one taking care of them, and you don’t want to just take care of them and roll them and not talk to them again till next year.”
What’s New
United Healthcare is introducing Avery, a proactive AI companion for members that reaches out on its own rather than waiting to be asked.
If a member hasn’t seen their primary care doctor, Avery prompts them directly
If a member has rewards sitting unused, Avery flags it for them
That means fewer routine questions landing on your desk, and a client who’s already more engaged with their plan
Jarvis is adding a feature that works the same way for you, showing which clients in your book have registered for the member portal and which haven’t.
Instead of a generic check-in, you get a specific reason to reach out
“I noticed you haven’t registered yet, here’s what you’re missing” lands better than “just checking in”
Guest pay, launching at the end of the month, lets you take a payment on demand with just a member’s information and date of birth, no login required.
One more reason to contact a client and get in front of them
No need to wait on a client to log in or remember a password to get a payment handled
Where the Time You’re Saving Goes
Fewer calls spent on logins, payments, and status updates means more time for the conversation that matters most. That extra time doesn’t have to go far to matter. A deeper needs conversation, one more question asked at enrollment instead of skipped, is often all it takes to change how a client experiences their plan down the line.
It’s Not Just Time Saved for You
The same tools that free up your time are making healthcare easier for the client on the other end of the call. Avery doesn’t wait for a member to ask the right question, it notices what they might be missing and brings it to them first. Guest pay means a client doesn’t need to remember a password just to make a payment. None of this replaces you, but it does mean your client’s day-to-day experience with their own plan gets simpler, not more complicated.
That’s not just a feeling, it shows up in the numbers. Digitally engaged members already show a measurable lift in retention, and engagement itself has nearly tripled in two years, from one in four members to three in four today. More engaged clients stick around, and the tools making engagement easier are the same ones giving you back time you’d otherwise spend on logins and passwords.
That’s really the point worth sitting with: less friction for your client means more room in the conversation for what counts, their coverage, their health, the decisions that are genuinely theirs to make. You get the time back. Your client gets the tension removed. Both of you end up with more room for the conversation that was the whole point to begin with.
One Thing to Try This Week
Pick one client who hasn’t registered for the member portal, or hasn’t downloaded the app, and bring it up directly. Not as a generic reminder, but as a real talking point: “Have you set up your account yet? There’s a tool now that checks in on things like your last doctor visit or rewards you haven’t used.” That one conversation puts Avery, the portal, and guest pay in front of a client who didn’t know to ask, and it’s the kind of specific, personal touch that a mass email never replicates.
These tools only create value once an agent puts them to use to start a conversation. That’s still the part only you can do.
Where The Brokerage Inc. Comes In
New tools are only useful if you know how to put them to work. The Brokerage Inc. is here to help you make sense of what’s new from United Healthcare and put it to work in a way that fits your book, not just one more thing to figure out on your own.
Hear the Full Conversation
This is part two of a two-part series on United Healthcare’s 2027 updates. Part one covered the plan and network updates worth bringing to clients now. Stronger plan options and tools that save you time, that’s the full 2027 lineup from United Healthcare.
