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Press Release
Major Midwest Health Insurer Brings Innovative Health Coverage to Individuals and Families in Iowa in 2016
Medica InsureSM Available in a Wide Range of Plans
May 14, 2015
Minnetonka — Innovative new health insurance products will soon be available to individuals and family members who are Iowa residents under the age of 65 — both on and off the Iowa Health Insurance Marketplace. Medica, a major non-profit health insurance company serving about 1.5 million members in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, will offer Iowans several health plan options designed to meet their wide-ranging needs. The suite of products will be sold under the product name Medica Insure. Iowans who purchased a health plan with premium tax credits on the Iowa Health Insurance Marketplace in 2015, on average, receive a $263, or 69 percent, reduction in their monthly premium, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Human Services.
"Medica is thrilled to bring new choices in health insurance to Iowa," said Dannette Coleman, Medica senior vice president and general manager of individual and family business. "Our plans are easy to understand and we believe Iowans will benefit from shopping and the options available to them. Iowa has the lowest adoption rate in the country of people who are eligible buying their insurance on the Marketplace; we think we can help improve that. Medica has demonstrated stability and service — serving the Midwest for 40 years. We are committed to offering health insurance products in the individual market to the people of Iowa for years to come"
A key feature of the Medica Insure product is the relationship Medica has formed with Mayo Clinic for a Centers of Excellence program. The program allows patients to receive care at Mayo Clinic with Medica providing a travel, lodging and meal stipend for the patient and a companion, to provide peace of mind to individuals and families experiencing significant health care issues.
Network and Availability
Medica Insure features an open access network; members can see providers throughout Iowa and Nebraska without a referral. The provider network includes 100 percent of the hospitals and 97 percent of clinicians in those states. Network level coverage for travel throughout the United States is offered as a standard feature.
Customer Focus
Medica places a high value on its members' experience. "Shopping for health insurance can be confusing," Coleman said. "We're here to make it easier to understand. We strive to communicate with our members in clear, friendly, and jargon-free language. We train our customer service and sales staffs to help people understand their choices and their plans. We believe Iowans could benefit from moving out of their current plans — especially if they are eligible for premium subsidies, which are available only on the Marketplace. We are prepared to help them do that."
Plan Designs
Other key features of Medica Insure are the simplicity and value in its plan designs. Among the offerings is a unique copay-based plan. With a Medica Insure Copay Plus plan, members simply pay a copay for most services and procedures — deductibles and coinsurance are not required for the vast majority of care. This is designed to help our members better predict their out-of-pocket costs. Medica Insure also features health savings account (HSA)-compliant plans and traditional copay plans, at the Gold, Silver and Bronze levels defined by the Affordable Care Act. A catastrophic plan also is offered. All plans offer access to quick and convenient 24/7 online care for over 40 common conditions at the same price as an office co-pay.
In order to meet Iowans where they are and where they want to shop, the Medica Insure product options and rates are exactly the same via the Iowa Health Insurance Marketplace, select brokers and through Medica directly. Premium subsidies are available only by purchasing coverage through the marketplace. The plans are available for an effective date of January 1, 2016, and will go on sale at the beginning of open enrollment on November 1, 2015.
Medica Insure includes value-added benefit programs at no cost to members. Healthy Living with Medica provides online personalized health and well-being programs, gym membership discounts, offers for personal training sessions and rewards for making healthy choices. Health Advocate is a unique program that provides independent and confidential assistance to help members find a physician, understand benefits, schedule doctor appointments and clarify billing statements. Health Advocate also includes a nurse line that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
About Medica
Medica is a health services company headquartered in Minneapolis and active in the Upper Midwest. With approximately 1.5 million members, the non-profit company provides health care coverage in the employer, individual, Medicaid, Medicare and Medicare Part D markets in Minnesota and a growing number of counties in North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Medica also offers national network coverage to employers who also have employees outside the Medica regional network.
Medica's vision is to become the community's health plan of choice, trusted for its integrity, respected for its service, and admired for its commitment to innovation and efficiency. Medica partners with the communities it serves in many ways, including the Medica Foundation, a nonprofit, charitable grant-making foundation. The Medica Foundation, which provided $1.4 million in grants in 2014, generally seeks to fund community-based programs and initiatives that can provide sustainable, measurable improvements in the availability, access and quality of healthcare
Connect with Medica on Twitter @Medica4Me and Facebook @Medica4Me.
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Contact
Greg Bury
Senior Manager, Public Relations
952-992-8437
[email protected]