WPS Health Insurance will offer its Patient Choice health insurance option at a two year fixed rate for Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce members.
WPS Health Insurance will offer its Patient Choice health insurance option at a two year fixed rate for Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) members.
“Patient Choice is a unique health insurance option from WPS Health Insurance that is designed to help businesses in the Milwaukee area control health care costs,” said Tom Nelson, senior vice president of commercial business at WPS.
The offer is available to MMAC members with two to fifty employees, said Tim Sheehy, president of the MMAC.
“We are looking for what we can do now to impact health care costs in our area. We talked about what is happening at the federal level and the uncertainty of health care costs and what can companies do now to help them with their costs and this is one way.”
The offer is available to any current MMAC member or future MMAC member in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, Racine and Waukesha Counties, Sheehy said.
According to Nelson, Patient Choice premiums are up to 20 percent lower than those of other group plans in southeastern Wisconsin.
“Patient Choice achieves these savings using a strategy based on care systems,” Nelson said. “Care systems are fully integrated health care delivery systems consisting of doctors, specialists, hospitals, and outpatient clinics.”
WPS negotiates with each individual care system to obtain the best pricing for health services, he said.
“On the Patient Choice plan, the employer’s contribution to health insurance premiums is based on the most cost-effective care system,” Nelson said. “Employees may choose any care system, however, they are responsible for the difference in premium. This approach allows employers to more accurately define and predict their annual health care budget, while still giving employees the flexibility to meet their individual health care requirements.”
The limited time offer is only available to companies who are MMAC members and who sign up between Jan.1 and June 1, 2010.