Beaumont Health and UnitedHealthcare, both based in Southfield, have introduced a new health plan that could save southeast Michigan employers up to 15 percent on monthly premiums.
The plan is from UnitedHealthcare and consists exclusively of the Beaumont network, offering access to the health system’s eight hospitals and 145 outpatient sites in Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties. Patients will be able to receive care from its 5,000 physicians without referrals. The network also includes the 30 Beaumont Urgent Care sites opening this year.
“Employers in southeast Michigan have asked for new health plans that provide cost-effective, quality care,” says Dustin Hinton, CEO of UnitedHealthcare of Michigan. “This new plan combines the quality care of the state’s largest health system with the resources and tools of UnitedHealthcare, delivering options that make the health system easier and more affordable for consumers to navigate.”
Along with savings for employers, the plan will offer employees lower monthly premiums compared to other health plans. It will be available to employers in the three counties with fully insured and self-funded UnitedHealthcare benefit plans. Employers with 51 or more employees will have access beginning July 1. Businesses with two-50 employees will have access starting Jan. 1, 2020. Employers can also access the plan if a majority of their employees live in the three counties, even if their facilities are located in other Michigan counties.
Employers that use health plans that combine benefits and physician-directed care within a single health system can strengthen patient/physician relationships and make it easier to manage employee health-care needs.
UnitedHealthcare resources include online tools, a mobile app, virtual visits, and a 24-hour nurse line.
