Blue Cross of California Announces "Employee Elect Program" -- Delivering Broad Choice of Health Plan Product for Small-Business Customers.WOODLAND HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 28, 1998--Blue Cross of California Thursday announced that employees of its small-business customers will now have access to a full range of small-group products. The "Employee Elect Program" gives employers the option of allowing each employee to select from nine medical plans and four dental plans. The new program provides Blue Cross members with more choice of plans than any other health insurer in California. The medical plans include four no-deductible PPO PPO abbr. preferred provider organization PPO Managed care Preferred provider organization, see there Infectious disease Pleuropneumonia-like organism, see there plans, three HMO HMO health maintenance organization. HMO n. A corporation that is financed by insurance premiums and has member physicians and professional staff who provide curative and preventive medicine within certain financial, plans, and two high-deductible plans for use with a Medical Savings Account  This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject.Please help recruit one or [ improve this article] yourself. See the talk page for details. . As small businesses seek a competitive edge in the California market, the availability of top-notch employees becomes critical. With Blue Cross' new options, small-business employers can now offer greater flexibility to meet the diverse affordability and coverage needs of workers and their families, consequently improving their ability to attract the best talent. The Employee Elect Program is an option offered to all new small- group customers as well as current customers on their respective anniversary dates. "Many employees of large businesses often have a broad array of customized health plans from which to choose," said Deborah Lachman, general manager of Small Group Businesses for Blue Cross. "We believe our small-business customers should have the same opportunities. Essentially, the `Employee Elect Program' allows each individual employee to choose the plan best suited to his or her needs." According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. independent agent Aline Roberts, there has already been tremendous interest expressed by small-business customers. "This is the most significant level of choice offered by a health insurer in years," said Roberts. "Even government-sponsored purchasing pools typically offer only two or three plans. "With nine distinct plans from which to choose, small-business owners and their employees and families will find answers to their concerns on cost, access and scope of coverage. There is quite literally, `something for everyone.'" Blue Cross of California, with nearly 4.4 million medical members, is the California-operating subsidiary of WellPoint Health Networks Inc., one of the nation's largest publicly traded managed care companies. Based in Woodland Hills, Calif., WellPoint serves the health-care needs of approximately 6.7 million medical and nearly 22 million specialty members nationally. WellPoint offers a broad spectrum of quality network-based health products including HMO, PPO and specialty managed care products. Specialty products include pharmacy benefit management A Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) is a third party administrator of prescription drug programs. They are primarily responsible for processing and paying prescription drug claims. , dental, utilization management Utilization management is the evaluation of the appropriateness, medical need and efficiency of health care services procedures and facilities according to established criteria or guidelines and under the provisions of an applicable health benefits plan. , vision, mental health, life and disability insurance, flexible spending accounts flexible spending account, n an employee reimbursement account primarily funded with employee-designated salary reductions. Funds are reimbursed to the employee for health care (medical and/or dental), dependent care, and/or legal expenses and are , COBRA cobra, name for African and Asian snakes of the family Elapidae that are equipped with inflatable neck hoods. The family also includes the African mambas, the Asian kraits, the New World coral snakes and a large number of Australian snakes. administration, Medicare supplements, and 24-hour integrated, network-based workers' compensation workers' compensation, payment by employers for some part of the cost of injuries, or in some cases of occupational diseases, received by employees in the course of their work. coverage.
CONTACT: Blue Cross of California, Woodland Hills
Cynthia Coulter, 818/703-3046, Media
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