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Monday, September 21, 2009
HealthFirst
By Leslie Ludke
On October 1, 2009, the New Hampshire HealthFirst insurance plan will become available to small employers. This insurance plan is priced at less than plans with comparable benefits because it is designed through the use of wellness incentives and hospital tiering to address the underlying costs of health care through better care management and more efficient utilization of health care services.
The plan was designed with input from an advisory committee that included small business owners, legislators, and representatives of business groups. The plan includes full coverage for preventive care and uses differential deductible levels to encourage members to seek care at less expensive hospitals. It also provides incentives and benefits for subscribers who participate in disease management or wellness programs and monitor their health by receiving annual preventive care.
All carriers that write coverage in the small group market and have at least 1,000 lives are required to offer the standard HealthFirst plan. Because the plan is a standardized plan, the price charged for the benefits can be easily compared among the different carriers. In designing the benefit structure the advisory committee was required, by statute, to meet a price target of 10 percent of the prior year’s median statewide wage for the health coverage plan rate. This health coverage plan rate is the base rate that a carrier will use to establish the premium rate for the product. Anthem is presently marketing the HealthFirst product using a health coverage plan rate that meets the required statutory target.
This innovative approach to health insurance offered by the HealthFirst product presents a new opportunity for small employers in New Hampshire who are willing to make a commitment to wellness and cost effective use of healthcare services.
Tags: beneefit structure, benefits, care maagement, cost, HealthFirst, Insurance, New Hampshire
Do people have to enroll by October 1 or is that just the date that insurers start making the plan available?
October 1st is the date that the insurers start making the plan available.
Hello:
Enrollment for Healthfirst is open all year except for “Groups of One” which has a limited open enrollment periods of March and September of each year (for more information on groups of one enrollment please refer to the N.H. Insurance Department website, Most Requested (right side) and select “Companies Offering Health Insurance” and scroll down to small group)