Latest news with #ICHRA
Dominion Post
a day ago
- Business
- Dominion Post
Mon Commission grappling with soaring insurance costs
MORGANTOWN — 'This is just not sustainable.' Monongalia County Commissioner Tom Bloom lamented that the annual increases in the cost of group employee health insurance is on a trajectory that will consume an untenable percentage of the county's overall budget in the near future without intervention. On Wednesday, the commission approved a proposal from Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield that comes with a 20.48% cost increase to the county when it takes effect Aug. 1. All told, the percentage increase absorbed by the county will total just over $1 million. Commissioner Sean Sikora explained that the final agreed-upon number was actually negotiated down significantly from Highmark's opening offer, which would have kept everything unchanged from the current plan — except the cost, which would have jumped 34.8%. In order to bring the percentage down, the commission agreed to raise employee deductibles from $6,000 single/$12,000 family to $7,000/$14,000. That disclosure was followed by a commitment from the commission to cover all employee deductibles at a potential maximum cost of $900,000. There will be a change on the employee end. Co-insurance — the percentage of a medical bill the patient pays after meeting the deductible — will increase from 10% to 20%. 'Really, that's the only negative impact to the employees,' Sikora said. 'There's two positive impacts. One, they're not getting a premium increase when there is one — a significant one. Two, they're not having to pay any deductible, which previously they had to pay $750 or $1,500.' Sikora explained that the county, like many other public and private entities, is facing what's known as the 'group plan dilemma' in which costs rise higher and higher while the level of satisfaction – either from employees, employers or both – falls. Embedded within the group plan concept is the inevitability that a small number of individuals will push costs up for everyone. It was explained that the offer Highmark first presented to the county was predicated on the fact that the company paid out 23% more than it collected in premiums in the current cycle. 'The problem we're dealing with is our experience in claims is what's driving our cost. There's nothing we can do about that. It's really just what they call in the industry the 'group dilemma.' Having these group plans, if we put it out to bid or we ask for a new proposal, we're paying for our experience. All that information is known and all that information is out there. We have a small portion of our participants that account for nearly 50% or 60% of all our claims, and those aren't going away.' While the commission opted to move forward with the Blue Cross/Blue Shield proposal, the insurance discussion isn't over. The body recently heard a pitch regarding ICHRA, or Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement, through which employees would work with a consultant to select their own health plan options from various insurance carriers and the commission would reimburse employees tax-free for premium costs up to a defined amount. As it stands, the commission is looking at an overall insurance spend of approximately $6 million in a $43.6 million budget. That's up from about $4.9 million. Based on recent history, there's no indication the county won't be back in this position a year from now. 'And that's just not realistic. That's not acceptable. We have to look at other options,' Bloom said.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vitable Health Becomes Nationwide Virtual Primary Care Partner for Apaly, Expanding Advanced Primary Care Access for Enterprise Employees
Partnership brings Vitable's people-first Direct Primary Care and mental health services virtually to Apaly clients across all 50 states. PHILADELPHIA, May 29, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vitable Health, the nation's leading health benefits platform, announces its partnership with Apaly—a premier Advanced Primary Care (APC) marketplace serving large enterprises—to deliver seamless access to high-quality virtual care and mental health support for tens of thousands of employees across the U.S. Apaly connects major employers with best-in-class primary care partners, offering easy access to essential healthcare for tens of thousands of employees around the country. Apaly has built a strong nationwide community of in-person APC providers, and covers employees across all 50 states. "Apaly is excited to be working with Vitable to help provide top-quality care and an amazing experience for our participating plan members and employers," says Apaly's Founder and CEO Dr. Jerry Beinhauer, "Vitable has been a great partner in delivering virtual Advanced Primary Care across the U.S., which establishes a true personal relationship between the patient and their clinician." Vitable Health's virtual Direct Primary Care, helps to ensure that every employee outside of Apaly's in-person primary care nationwide community can still access compassionate, affordable, and high-quality care—no matter where they live. "Apaly's mission to bring next-generation care to the enterprise aligns perfectly with Vitable's vision of equitable and accessible healthcare," said Joseph Kitonga, founder and CEO of Vitable Health. "We're honored to work with Apaly to deliver virtual coverage nationwide and to serve enterprise employees who've long been overlooked by traditional health plans." With this partnership, Apaly and Vitable Health are setting a new standard in enterprise health benefits by ensuring that care is not bound by location. As more companies operate remotely or across multiple states, the need for scalable and inclusive healthcare access has never been more urgent. Apaly currently serves large Fortune 500 employers, among others. With Vitable Health now integrated into the Apaly marketplace, these companies can guarantee seamless virtual access to primary care, mental health, free prescriptions, and care navigation for tens of thousands of people, no matter where they live. "This is a major step toward closing the coverage gap for employees left out of traditional coverage networks," Kitonga added. "We're proud to be working with Apaly to help employers deliver care that's both modern and meaningful." About Vitable Health Vitable Health is the health benefits platform making healthcare better for everyday workers. With a focus on real access over red tape, Vitable Health offers employers affordable, ACA-compliant health benefit solutions—including MEC and MVP plans, ICHRA and QSEHRA options, Direct Primary Care, Dental and Vision coverage, and Hospital Indemnity. Every plan includes access to primary care visits, mental health services, and over 1,000 covered prescriptions and labs with zero out-of-pocket costs. To date, Vitable Health has raised $25 million from top-tier investors such as First Round Capital, Y Combinator, Cherryrock Capital, Citi Bank's Impact Fund, Commerce Ventures, Jack Altman, Michael Seibel, Immad Akhund, and SoftBank Opportunity Fund. Learn more at Images available here. About Apaly Apaly is an Advanced Primary Care marketplace built for large enterprises, connecting leading employers with best-in-class APC providers across the country. Through curated partnerships and cutting-edge health benefit infrastructure, Apaly helps large Fortune 500 companies to offer more personalized, proactive care to their teams. Learn more at View source version on Contacts media@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Wire
29-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Vitable Health Becomes Nationwide Virtual Primary Care Partner for Apaly, Expanding Advanced Primary Care Access for Enterprise Employees
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vitable Health, the nation's leading health benefits platform, announces its partnership with Apaly—a premier Advanced Primary Care (APC) marketplace serving large enterprises—to deliver seamless access to high-quality virtual care and mental health support for tens of thousands of employees across the U.S. Vitable Health Becomes Nationwide Virtual Primary Care Partner for Apaly, Expanding Advanced Primary Care Access for Enterprise Employees Share Apaly connects major employers with best-in-class primary care partners, offering easy access to essential healthcare for tens of thousands of employees around the country. Apaly has built a strong nationwide community of in-person APC providers, and covers employees across all 50 states. 'Apaly is excited to be working with Vitable to help provide top-quality care and an amazing experience for our participating plan members and employers,' says Apaly's Founder and CEO Dr. Jerry Beinhauer, 'Vitable has been a great partner in delivering virtual Advanced Primary Care across the U.S., which establishes a true personal relationship between the patient and their clinician.' Vitable Health's virtual Direct Primary Care, helps to ensure that every employee outside of Apaly's in-person primary care nationwide community can still access compassionate, affordable, and high-quality care—no matter where they live. 'Apaly's mission to bring next-generation care to the enterprise aligns perfectly with Vitable's vision of equitable and accessible healthcare,' said Joseph Kitonga, founder and CEO of Vitable Health. 'We're honored to work with Apaly to deliver virtual coverage nationwide and to serve enterprise employees who've long been overlooked by traditional health plans.' With this partnership, Apaly and Vitable Health are setting a new standard in enterprise health benefits by ensuring that care is not bound by location. As more companies operate remotely or across multiple states, the need for scalable and inclusive healthcare access has never been more urgent. Apaly currently serves large Fortune 500 employers, among others. With Vitable Health now integrated into the Apaly marketplace, these companies can guarantee seamless virtual access to primary care, mental health, free prescriptions, and care navigation for tens of thousands of people, no matter where they live. 'This is a major step toward closing the coverage gap for employees left out of traditional coverage networks,' Kitonga added. 'We're proud to be working with Apaly to help employers deliver care that's both modern and meaningful.' About Vitable Health Vitable Health is the health benefits platform making healthcare better for everyday workers. With a focus on real access over red tape, Vitable Health offers employers affordable, ACA-compliant health benefit solutions—including MEC and MVP plans, ICHRA and QSEHRA options, Direct Primary Care, Dental and Vision coverage, and Hospital Indemnity. Every plan includes access to primary care visits, mental health services, and over 1,000 covered prescriptions and labs with zero out-of-pocket costs. To date, Vitable Health has raised $25 million from top-tier investors such as First Round Capital, Y Combinator, Cherryrock Capital, Citi Bank's Impact Fund, Commerce Ventures, Jack Altman, Michael Seibel, Immad Akhund, and SoftBank Opportunity Fund. Learn more at Images available here. About Apaly Apaly is an Advanced Primary Care marketplace built for large enterprises, connecting leading employers with best-in-class APC providers across the country. Through curated partnerships and cutting-edge health benefit infrastructure, Apaly helps large Fortune 500 companies to offer more personalized, proactive care to their teams. Learn more at
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vitable Health Becomes Nationwide Virtual Primary Care Partner for Apaly, Expanding Advanced Primary Care Access for Enterprise Employees
Partnership brings Vitable's people-first Direct Primary Care and mental health services virtually to Apaly clients across all 50 states. PHILADELPHIA, May 29, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vitable Health, the nation's leading health benefits platform, announces its partnership with Apaly—a premier Advanced Primary Care (APC) marketplace serving large enterprises—to deliver seamless access to high-quality virtual care and mental health support for tens of thousands of employees across the U.S. Apaly connects major employers with best-in-class primary care partners, offering easy access to essential healthcare for tens of thousands of employees around the country. Apaly has built a strong nationwide community of in-person APC providers, and covers employees across all 50 states. "Apaly is excited to be working with Vitable to help provide top-quality care and an amazing experience for our participating plan members and employers," says Apaly's Founder and CEO Dr. Jerry Beinhauer, "Vitable has been a great partner in delivering virtual Advanced Primary Care across the U.S., which establishes a true personal relationship between the patient and their clinician." Vitable Health's virtual Direct Primary Care, helps to ensure that every employee outside of Apaly's in-person primary care nationwide community can still access compassionate, affordable, and high-quality care—no matter where they live. "Apaly's mission to bring next-generation care to the enterprise aligns perfectly with Vitable's vision of equitable and accessible healthcare," said Joseph Kitonga, founder and CEO of Vitable Health. "We're honored to work with Apaly to deliver virtual coverage nationwide and to serve enterprise employees who've long been overlooked by traditional health plans." With this partnership, Apaly and Vitable Health are setting a new standard in enterprise health benefits by ensuring that care is not bound by location. As more companies operate remotely or across multiple states, the need for scalable and inclusive healthcare access has never been more urgent. Apaly currently serves large Fortune 500 employers, among others. With Vitable Health now integrated into the Apaly marketplace, these companies can guarantee seamless virtual access to primary care, mental health, free prescriptions, and care navigation for tens of thousands of people, no matter where they live. "This is a major step toward closing the coverage gap for employees left out of traditional coverage networks," Kitonga added. "We're proud to be working with Apaly to help employers deliver care that's both modern and meaningful." About Vitable Health Vitable Health is the health benefits platform making healthcare better for everyday workers. With a focus on real access over red tape, Vitable Health offers employers affordable, ACA-compliant health benefit solutions—including MEC and MVP plans, ICHRA and QSEHRA options, Direct Primary Care, Dental and Vision coverage, and Hospital Indemnity. Every plan includes access to primary care visits, mental health services, and over 1,000 covered prescriptions and labs with zero out-of-pocket costs. To date, Vitable Health has raised $25 million from top-tier investors such as First Round Capital, Y Combinator, Cherryrock Capital, Citi Bank's Impact Fund, Commerce Ventures, Jack Altman, Michael Seibel, Immad Akhund, and SoftBank Opportunity Fund. Learn more at Images available here. About Apaly Apaly is an Advanced Primary Care marketplace built for large enterprises, connecting leading employers with best-in-class APC providers across the country. Through curated partnerships and cutting-edge health benefit infrastructure, Apaly helps large Fortune 500 companies to offer more personalized, proactive care to their teams. Learn more at View source version on Contacts media@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Malaysian Reserve
06-05-2025
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
New PeopleKeep Report Shows QSEHRA Is Powering Health Benefits for Underserved Small Employers
Eighth annual report reveals growth in employer contributions, rising use of spousal premium reimbursements, and key employee demographic insights INDIANAPOLIS, May 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — PeopleKeep, the software-driven product line of Remodel Health, has released its eighth annual report on the qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangement (QSEHRA), shedding light on how small employers are leveraging this flexible health benefit to offer meaningful coverage to their teams. While attention in the health benefits space has increasingly focused on the rise of the individual coverage HRA (ICHRA), the QSEHRA remains a strong fit for small employers—especially those offering a benefit for the first time and seeking a simple, cost-controlled solution. The 2024 report draws on proprietary data from PeopleKeep customers and their employees using a QSEHRA between January 1 and December 31, 2024. Highlights include: Employer generosity is growing : Since 2019, employers have increased their average monthly QSEHRA allowance by 49% . : Since 2019, employers have increased their average monthly QSEHRA allowance by . Premium reimbursement flexibility : 43% of employers are enabling reimbursements for employees covered through a spouse's employer-sponsored plan. : of employers are enabling reimbursements for employees covered through a spouse's employer-sponsored plan. Younger-than-average workforce : The average age of QSEHRA recipients is 39 , lower than the national median age of American workers, which is 42 . : The average age of QSEHRA recipients is , lower than the national median age of American workers, which is . Premiums lead spending : 65% of allowances were used to pay for health, dental, and vision insurance premiums. : of allowances were used to pay for health, dental, and vision insurance premiums. Bronze and gold plans dominate: Most employees used their QSEHRA to purchase bronze or gold-level individual plans, with HMO networks as the most common choice. 'QSEHRA continues to be a powerful tool for small employers who want to do right by their team but can't afford or don't qualify for a traditional group plan,' said Austin Lehman, CEO of Remodel Health. 'This report shows that more small employers are stepping up to offer coverage—often for the first time—and using QSEHRA to do it on their terms.' As part of Remodel Health, PeopleKeep offers modern HRA administration software that makes it easy for small employers to design, launch, and manage benefits like QSEHRA with minimal administrative burden. The platform empowers employees to choose the health coverage that fits their needs while giving employers full control over costs. The full report is available for download at About PeopleKeep PeopleKeep, powered by Remodel Health, provides health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) administration software that helps small employers offer flexible, tax-free health benefits. PeopleKeep's tech-forward platform is purpose-built for employers looking for a simple, scalable alternative to traditional group health insurance. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Remodel Health
