American Specialty Health Announces New Name for Insurance Subsidiary.Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2003 American Specialty Health Inc., the nation's leading complementary health care benefits organization, announced a new name for its insurance company subsidiary. Previously known as Western Diversified Life Insurance Company (WDLIC), the subsidiary's new name, American Specialty Health Insurance Company, has been approved in the state of Illinois, where the subsidiary is domiciled dom·i·cile n. 1. A residence; a home. 2. One's legal residence. v. dom·i·ciled, dom·i·cil·ing, dom·i·ciles v.tr. 1. . American Specialty Health is now seeking regulatory approval to change the name in the 39 additional states where the subsidiary is licensed to sell health insurance. American Specialty Health acquired WDLIC in 2001. The insurance company subsidiary will begin offering fully-insured supplemental complementary health care benefit programs directly to employers during 2003, making American Specialty Health an industry pioneer. As a result, employers whose health plans do not offer options such as acupuncture acupuncture (ăk`y  pŭng'chər), technique of traditional Chinese medicine, in which a number of very fine metal needles are inserted into the skin at specially designated points. , chiropractic chiropractic (kīrəprăk`tĭk) [Gr.,=doing by hand], medical practice based on the theory that all disease results from a disruption of the functions of the nerves. , dietetic dietetic /di·e·tet·ic/ (di?ah-tet´ik) pertaining to diet or proper food. di·e·tet·ic adj. 1. Of or relating to diet. 2. counseling, massage therapy Massage Therapy Definition Massage therapy is the scientific manipulation of the soft tissues of the body for the purpose of normalizing those tissues and consists of manual techniques that include applying fixed or movable pressure, holding, and/or or vitamins and minerals will be able to purchase insurance coverage for these benefits directly. "The name change is an important step toward promoting greater synergy and consistency among our complementary health programs," said George DeVries, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of American Specialty Health. "As the market leader in complementary health care, brand recognition is critical to building awareness among employers, health plans, and members." Based in San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , American Specialty Health and its subsidiaries provide specialty benefit, educational, and affinity discount programs to health plans, insurance carriers, employer groups employer group Association of employers Managed care An entity with a current group benefits agreement in effect with a health plan to provide covered health care services to its employee-subscribers and eligible dependents. , and trust funds nationwide. Its affiliate American Specialty Health Plans(R) of California Inc., which operates in California, is the nation's first and largest specialty health plan for chiropractic and acupuncture services. American Specialty Health has nearly 500 employees and covers more than 16 million members nationwide under the benefit programs available through its subsidiaries. For more information about American Specialty Health, visit its Web site at www.ashcompanies.com. |
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