Union Health Service

What Union Health Service does

Union Health Service (UHS) is a not-for-profit staff-model managed care plan and multi-specialty medical group founded in Chicago in 1955 under a charter granted by the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act of 1951. UHS delivers comprehensive prepaid healthcare — including primary care, specialty care, pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, wellness programs, referral management, and claims processing — to approximately 40,000 union members and their dependents across the Chicagoland region. Member coverage flows through Health and Welfare Funds negotiated by SEIU-affiliated unions (SEIU Local 1 commercial and residential, SEIU Healthcare, and Chicago Metro Security Officers) plus a Medicare tier, with services rendered without deductibles or co-insurance when accessed at UHS facilities.

The organization operates six owned-and-operated medical facilities (Polk Street headquarters, 87th Street, Aurora, Northwest/Norridge, Berwyn, and Evanston) staffed by 40 full-time primary care physicians and more than 70 part-time specialists. Core clinical technology includes an electronic medical records system, a member patient portal, and the MobileScripts mobile application for prescription refills. Ancillary services are delivered through external integrations — LabCorp for laboratory services and OptumRx for an expanded retail pharmacy network — while inpatient and tertiary care are routed through contracted core hospital partners including Advocate Health Care facilities, Rush-Copley Medical Center, Rush-Oak Park Hospital, and University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System.

UHS is governed by its union constituencies rather than external shareholders, holds AAAHC ambulatory accreditation, and is funded through employer Health and Welfare contributions negotiated via collective bargaining. Its Medical Management Referral Department processes roughly 1,600 phone calls and 2,000 referrals weekly. The not-for-profit structure, prepaid capitation-style funding, and absence of investor ownership mean there are no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no equity-linked valuation signals in the source data. The company has historically operated on a stable, retention-driven basis, with reported sub-3% annual premium growth during the 1990s and zero complaints filed with the Illinois Department of Insurance during that era.

Name

Union Health Service

Legal name

Union Health Service, Inc.

Website

https://unionhealth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Union Health Service is a not-for-profit staff-model managed care plan and multi-specialty medical group providing prepaid, comprehensive healthcare to approximately 40,000 Chicago-area union members and dependents across six owned medical facilities, with no deductibles or co-insurance at UHS sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Managed Healthcare Services

NAICS

Ambulatory Health Care Services (621), Other Outpatient Care Centers (62149)

SIC

Hospital & Medical Service Plans (6324), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Taft-Hartley / Union Multiemployer Group Health Plans (FSAIAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Occupational Health & Employer Clinic Services (HLAEAAAI)

Keywords

• Managed care services
• Primary care
• Specialty medical care
• Pharmacy services
• Wellness programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Union Member Health Plan Premiums: Prepaid health coverage funded through negotiated Health and Welfare contributions from employers on behalf of union members. The not-for-profit health plan operates on capitation and provides comprehensive care without deductibles or co-insurance at UHS facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Union Health Service is a not-for-profit staff-model managed care plan and multi-specialty medical group that provides comprehensive prepaid healthcare to approximately 40,000 Chicago-area union members and their dependents. Care is delivered through six company-owned medical facilities staffed by 40 full-time primary care physicians and 70+ part-time specialists, with on-site pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, wellness, referral, and claims services.

Product overview

Union Health Service (UHS) is a not-for-profit staff-model managed care plan and multi-specialty medical group that provides comprehensive healthcare services to approximately 40,000 union members in the Chicago area. The organization operates a network of medical facilities (Polk Street, 87th Street, Aurora, Northwest/Norridge, Berwyn, Evanston) offering core services including pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, wellness programs, referral management, and claims processing. UHS delivers care through 40 full-time primary care physicians and over 70 part-time specialists, with member benefits administered across multiple union health funds (SEIU 1 commercial, SEIU 1 residential, SEIU Healthcare, Chicago Metro Security Officers, and Medicare). Additional digital offerings include a patient portal, MobileScripts mobile app for prescription refills, and online physician search directory. The organization also conducts annual quality care assessments through patient and provider satisfaction surveys.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UHS Patient Portal
• Pharmacy Services Modern clinical pharmacy at Polk Street Center that fills outpatient prescriptions exclusively for UHS members; staff fluent in English, Polish, and Spanish; operates on a not-for-profit basis with automated refill options.
• Laboratory Services Laboratory services offered in partnership with LabCorp at Polk Street Center and throughout Chicagoland/Northwest Indiana via LabCorp Patient Service Centers.
• Radiology Services Radiology imaging services available as part of comprehensive outpatient medical care at UHS facilities.
• Wellness Programs Health and wellness programs including preventive health guidelines, health education, health risk assessments, and management of high-risk conditions such as diabetes, depression, hypertension, asthma, and COPD.
• Referral Management Medical management referral department processing physician orders and specialist referrals; handles approximately 1,600 phone calls and 2,000 referrals per week, with benefit and eligibility verification.
• Claims Processing Claims department handling billing, payments, workers compensation claims, and third-party claims for UHS members.
• UHS Mobile App (MobileScripts) Mobile application for prescription management enabling refill notifications, prescription viewing and queue management, bottle scanning for quick refills, and medication reminders.
• Multi-Site Medical Facilities Network of medical facilities including Polk Street (primary), 87th Street, Aurora, Northwest (Norridge), Berwyn, and Evanston offering primary and specialty care services.
• Physician Search Directory Online physician database searchable by name or specialty including primary care and specialty care; filterable by location and gender.
• Member Benefits Administration Health plan administration serving approximately 40,000 members and their dependents with 40 full-time primary care physicians and over 70 part-time specialists; plans include SEIU 1 commercial, SEIU 1 residential, SEIU Healthcare, Chicago Metro Security Officers, and Medicare programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average less than 3% annual premium increases during 1990s while competitors had double-digit increases
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• LabCorpcoreTechnology or IntegrationUnion Health Service has partnered with LabCorp to offer laboratory services at its Polk Street Center exclusively for UHS members. LabCorp also operates independent Patient Service Centers throughout the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana region for added member convenience.
• OptumRxcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOptumRx pharmacy network includes participating pharmacies such as Jewel Osco, CVS, Mariano's, Costco and many others for UHS members. UHS members can call Member Service Department or OptumRx Customer Service for additional information.
• Advocate Health Care (Advocate Christ Medical Center, Advocate Condell Medical Center, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Advocate South Suburban Hospital)coreTechnology or IntegrationCore hospital network partners providing inpatient and specialty services for UHS members referred from UHS medical facilities.
• Rush-Copley Medical Center and Rush-Oak Park HospitalcoreTechnology or IntegrationExclusive core hospital partners for UHS members. Rush-Copley provides OB/GYN services at multiple locations in Aurora and Oswego.
• University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences SystemcoreTechnology or IntegrationCore hospital partner providing academic medical center services for UHS members requiring specialized care.
• SEIU (Service Employees International Union) Local 1 and Local 25coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding union partners whose Health and Welfare Funds provide premium contributions for union members' healthcare at UHS. Thomas J. Burke, president of Chicago Janitors' Union Local 25, co-founded UHS in 1952.
• SEIU Healthcare Illinois Benefits Funds OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEIU Healthcare Benefits Funds Office at 2229 S. Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60608 provides benefits administration for Personal Assistants, Child Care Providers, and Home Care Workers covered through UHS.
• SEIU Health and Welfare Fund (Chicago Metro Security Officers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEIU Health and Welfare Fund for Chicago Metro Security Officers provides premium contributions for security officers' healthcare coverage through UHS.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HealthPartners: Minnesota-based integrated nonprofit health plan owning both an insurance arm and a multi-specialty medical group, similar to UHS's staff-model approach with employed physicians in owned facilities.
• Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin: Member-governed cooperative health plan running owned clinics with employed physicians in a single region - the closest structural analog to UHS's nonprofit, member-controlled, staff-model approach.
• Fallon Health: Massachusetts-based nonprofit integrated health plan serving union, employer, and government populations with care delivered through owned and contracted provider networks; comparable regional, mission-driven payer-provider model.
• Geisinger Health Plan: Pennsylvania integrated delivery system combining an owned provider group with a captive health plan; comparable to UHS as a regional, vertically integrated, value-based care organization with employed physicians.
• Kaiser Permanente: U.S. staff-model integrated delivery network combining an owned multi-specialty physician group with a captive health plan. UHS operates the same fundamental model at a vastly smaller scale and in a single metro, making Kaiser the canonical structural comparable.

Regional players

• CareOregon: Nonprofit, mission-driven community health plan operating exclusively in Oregon with an integrated provider network serving Medicaid and dual-eligible populations - comparable as a regional mission-driven payer, not direct geographic competitor.

Others

• Labcorp (Laboratory Corporation of America): National laboratory network partnering with UHS to deliver outpatient lab services; included as an ecosystem participant and core operational partner for UHS's in-clinic diagnostics rather than a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• PacificSource Health Plans: Northwest-focused nonprofit health plan combining insurance with owned provider assets, comparable in the staff-model philosophy though operating in a different geography from UHS.

Broad incumbents

• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois: Largest commercial health insurer in Illinois operating across all major employer segments in the same Chicago market where UHS operates, competing for the same union and employer accounts.
• Health Alliance Medical Plans: Midwest-focused nonprofit health plan combining insurance and a multi-specialty provider group; similar value-based integrated model but operating across broader Illinois geography with employer-segment focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/union-health-service-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Union Health Service