Press Releases: Georgia
January 29, 2004
Kaiser Permanente enrolls Georgians in new cost-sharing plans
New plans offer greater flexibility
ATLANTA, Ga. – New HMO and Multi-Choice plans with cost-sharing features are the latest addition to Kaiser Permanente of Georgia's product portfolio. The new products offer a combination of deductibles, coinsurance and lower monthly premium plans as part of the broadening portfolio of health care choices offered by Kaiser Permanente of Georgia.
"Adding these types of products is part of Kaiser Permanente's strategy to offer a broader choice of products to purchasers to better meet their specific needs. We want to be part of the solution to make health care more affordable to more Georgians," said Lisa Fry, Kaiser Permanente's Business Development Director. "We developed these plans for two primary reasons. We recognize the challenges faced by everyone in keeping health care costs reasonable, and see these plans as a better option for some consumers' needs. Also, most employers want health plans that are flexible enough to allow them and their employees to choose a plan design that provides the ideal balance of monthly premium and out-of-pocket costs."
Coverage under Kaiser Permanente's new plans went into effect on January 1 of this year. The new deductible/coinsurance plans offer employers and employees products at reduced monthly premiums with greater cost-sharing for select services. Some groups are choosing cost-sharing on specific services such as lab, radiology and pharmacy.
Over the past year, Kaiser Permanente has significantly repositioned its product entire portfolio. Last March, Kaiser introduced its Multi-Choice point-of-service plans, targeting small and medium employers with two or as many as 500 employees. Multi-Choice members can proactively manage their out-of-pocket costs by choosing a provider in one of three tiers (HMO, PPO and indemnity) and they pay copayments, deductibles and/or coinsurance applicable to that tier. With Multi-Choice, members can receive care from physicians in Kaiser Permanente's point-of-service network (at the highest benefit level) as well as PPO providers and out-of-network providers at lower benefit levels. Since last March, nearly 9,000 members have enrolled in Kaiser Permanente's Multi-Choice plans.
In January 2003, Kaiser Permanente introduced redesigned Personal Advantage Plans in response to the increasing numbers of Georgians dropping or losing their individual health coverage. Personal Advantage members can purchase the Added Choice option, which includes some out-of-network benefits with applicable deductibles and coinsurance. Kaiser Permanente will introduce additional new individual plans sometime this year.
Note: Reporters who would like to speak to a Kaiser Permanente official about the health plan's new products should contact Earnestine Perry at 404-364-4754.
Kaiser Permanente is the state of Georgia's largest nonprofit health plan, serving the health care needs of Atlanta metro area residents for 22 years. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc. currently provides comprehensive health care services to approximately 275,000 members through 15 medical facilities in a 28-county service, and a network of affiliated hospitals and physicians. The Health Plan provided more than $5 million in community benefit programs and services.
