Last Updated on September 16, 2026 by Justin Bryant
Optum is hiring an Access & Reimbursement Specialist who can telecommute from anywhere in the United States. The official listing shows $20 to $36 per hour, full-time employment, no travel, and a weekday schedule.
This is not an entry-level pharmacy job. Applicants need at least two years of hands-on pharmacy claims processing and benefit-verification experience. Calling pharmacy benefit managers, following up on prior authorizations and appeals, and explaining coverage decisions to customers are central parts of the work. The opening was posted September 15 and remained active when checked on September 16, 2026.
What Is Optum?
Optum is a health services and technology business within UnitedHealth Group. Its operations include pharmacy care, healthcare delivery, data and analytics, payment and revenue-cycle services, and other systems used by patients, providers, employers, and health plans.
This position supports pharmacy access and reimbursement. In practical terms, the specialist researches prescription insurance coverage, helps move prior authorizations and appeals forward, and looks for financial-assistance options that may help patients obtain prescribed treatment.
Pay and Benefits
The official listing gives an hourly range of $20 to $36, based on full-time employment. UnitedHealth Group says actual pay can vary with factors such as the local labor market, education, and work experience.
The listed benefits include:
- Paid time off that begins accruing with the first pay period
- Eight paid holidays
- Medical plan options and health spending or health savings account participation
- Dental and vision coverage
- Life, accidental death and dismemberment, short-term disability, and long-term disability coverage
- A 401(k) savings plan and employee stock purchase plan
- Education reimbursement
- Employee discounts and an employee assistance program
- Employee referral bonuses and optional benefits such as pet or legal insurance
Benefit eligibility can depend on the plan and employment terms. The listing does not state the likely starting rate for a particular applicant or provide a bonus target.
Job Highlight: Access & Reimbursement Specialist
This role sits between pharmacy claims, insurance coverage, and patient access. You would verify pharmacy benefits, research payer requirements, help initiate prior authorizations and appeals, and identify possible third-party financial assistance.
Much of the work requires accuracy across several systems and work queues. The specialist records program information in a customer relationship management system or database, completes test claims or electronic benefit checks, follows deadlines, and coordinates with nurses, pharmacists, pharmacy interns, payers, and assistance organizations.
Phone work is explicit. The listing says the specialist navigates calls to pharmacy benefit managers, follows up with pharmacy plans and outside organizations, and explains approval or denial details to customers. This should not be presented as a no-phone or back-office-only job.
Key Responsibilities
- Research pharmacy benefits across government and commercial payer structures
- Work through prior-authorization and appeal requirements for prescription medications
- Call pharmacy benefit managers to confirm benefit details, overrides, and contracting requirements
- Complete test claims or electronic verification of benefits when appropriate
- Collect and document program information accurately in a CRM or database
- Coordinate information needed from licensed healthcare professionals
- Follow up on prior authorizations, appeals, and financial-assistance applications
- Explain coverage approvals, denials, and next steps in plain language
- Review client and customer data, route prescriptions, and communicate status updates
- Troubleshoot routine customer issues while protecting confidential and HIPAA-regulated information
Qualifications
The official required qualifications are:
- Two or more years of hands-on pharmacy claims processing and benefit-verification experience in a pharmacy setting
- Availability for an eight-hour shift Monday through Friday with a start time between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. Eastern
- Age 18 or older
The preferred qualifications include at least two years of prior authorization processing in an insurance or pharmacy setting, specialty-pharmacy or pharmacy-accreditation experience, and experience in a call center, operations, or matrixed environment. A pharmacy-technician license, registration, or certification is preferred when required by the state board where the person is employed.
The listing does not include a college degree among its stated requirements, but that does not make the job broadly beginner-friendly. The two-year pharmacy-claims requirement is the real gate.
Resume Keywords
Use relevant terms only when they accurately describe your experience:
- Pharmacy claims processing
- Benefit verification
- Pharmacy benefits
- Prior authorization
- Appeals
- Medicare and Medicaid
- Commercial payers
- Test claims
- Financial assistance
- Patient access
- CRM documentation
- HIPAA compliance
- Pharmacy benefit manager
- Customer communication
- Work queues
- Prescription triage
- Specialty pharmacy
A strong application should show specific examples of verifying prescription coverage, resolving a claim or authorization problem, documenting accurate information, and communicating with payers or healthcare professionals.
Location and Schedule
The listing says the specialist can telecommute from anywhere within the United States, so it clears the multi-state geography requirement. It is a full-time, non-exempt position with no travel listed.
Employees must be able to work an eight-hour shift Monday through Friday beginning between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. Eastern. Depending on time zone, that may create a substantially earlier local start. The listing does not state the training schedule, exact weekly hours beyond full-time status, overtime expectations, equipment provided, internet-speed requirement, or state-specific licensing rules.
All remote employees must follow UnitedHealth Group's telecommuter policy. Applicants should confirm any equipment, workspace, internet, and state pharmacy-registration requirements during the application process.
Closing Notes
This opening is strongest for someone who already understands pharmacy claims and benefit verification and wants to move that experience into a national-remote role. The clearest advantages are the $20-$36 hourly range, broad U.S. eligibility, weekday schedule, no listed travel, and comprehensive benefits.
The biggest catches are the required two years of hands-on pharmacy experience, regular phone contact with payers and customers, and the late-morning Eastern start window. The exact requisition number is 2385474. UnitedHealth Group says the job will remain posted for at least two business days or until it has a sufficient applicant pool, so it may close without much notice. It was last checked on September 16, 2026.
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