Galveston Close to Enrolling First Members, With Other Urban Cities Close
Behind, According to a New Report from HealthLeaders-InterStudy
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a
leading provider of managed care market intelligence, reports that five
Texas urban areas -- Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Galveston and Houston -- have
made various levels of progress toward forming health benefit pools
authorized last year by the Texas legislature. According to the latest
Texas Health Plan Analysis, these three-share health benefits programs are
designed to provide coverage access to small businesses who feel they have
been priced out of the healthcare market.
"Three-share programs split healthcare premium expenses between an
employer, the employee and another source, such as the public sector, grant
money or hospital disproportionate share dollars," states Bill Melville,
market analyst for HealthLeaders-InterStudy and author of the report. "Each
city also operates their programs independently, but all five groups work
as a coalition for planning, sharing ideas and seeking out grant money from
the state."
In Galveston, the first countywide health benefits plan is close to
enrolling its inaugural members. The smallest of the five counties leads
the pack due to grants and the apparatus of the University of Texas Medical
Branch's HMO, a Medicare supplement plan. The Galveston County three-share
effort will use that system to enroll between 500 and 700 people for a two-
year period and will target businesses employing two to 49 people.
Austin will likely launch next, with a more ambitious goal of enrolling
10,000 Central Texans in the next three years and it will feature a
two-share and a three-share program. In Houston, the Harris County
Healthcare Alliance, bolstered by the region's hospitals, is seeking to
institute a three-share pilot of 5,000 people over a three-year period. And
lastly, Dallas County's program took a major step late last year with the
endorsement of the Parkland Hospital System's Board of Directors and is
working to secure the support of other major local hospital systems.
About Health Plan Analysis
Health Plan Analysis identifies key health plan trends, allowing
healthcare businesses to create comprehensive strategic plans and sales
strategies at state and local levels.
About HealthLeaders-InterStudy
HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a company of Decision Resources, Inc., is the
authoritative source for managed care data and analysis. For more
information, please visit http://www.HealthLeaders-InterStudy.com.
All company, brand, or product names contained in this document may be
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
For more information, contact:
Elizabeth Marshall
Decision Resources
781-296-2563
emarshall@dresources.com
SOURCE HealthLeaders-InterStudy
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Related links:
http://www.HealthLeaders-InterStudy.com
CONTACT:
Elizabeth Marshall of Decision Resources,
+1-781-296-2563, emarshall@dresources.com, for
HealthLeaders-InterStudy
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