HealthPlan Services Partners With Freelancers Union to Provide Business Process Services to Independent Workers

TAMPA, Fla., July 26 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthPlan Services (HPS), a leading provider of outsourcing solutions to insurers in the individual, small business, association and union trust markets, announced today that it has entered an agreement to provide comprehensive business process services to Freelancers Union, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to meeting the needs of America's independent workforce though advocacy, information and service.

Under the three-year agreement, HPS will provide enrollment and billing services to Freelancers Union in support of the benefit services offered to their 140,000 members nationwide.

"We are honored to have been selected as Freelancers Union's business partner," said Jeff Bak, president and CEO of HPS. "Our industry expertise and proprietary technology will benefit the Freelancers Union membership by providing new levels of automation and administrative ease. We look forward to an ongoing, mutually beneficial relationship."

Freelancers Union uses the market power of a large group to provide members with needed services such as health insurance, retirement planning, education, events and discounts. The 2009 launch of Freelancers Insurance Company, the first social purpose health insurance company, demonstrates the organization's commitment to self-sustaining, social entrepreneurial solutions that meet its members' needs.

"We selected HPS after a rigorous vendor review process," said Sara Horowitz, founder and executive director of Freelancers Union. "Our number one goal was finding an experienced partner equally committed to meeting the needs of the new workforce. HPS's proven track record of success speaks for itself. They're the ideal partner to help us enhance and expand our benefit services to our membership."  

About Freelancers Union

Freelancers Union is a national nonprofit membership organization that is building a new form of unionism to promote the interests of the growing number of independent workers in the United States. Freelancers comprise 30% of the U.S. workforce, but lack supports and benefits that traditional employees enjoy. Unlike traditional trade unions, which are limited by law to employees of workplace-based organizations, Freelancers Union delivers flexible and portable benefits to an increasingly mobile and decentralized workforce adjusting to the changing contours of the U.S. and global economy. Since 2001, Freelancers Union has provided vital health, dental, life and disability insurance, advocacy initiatives and education for independent workers—the fastest growing workforce in the U.S. Freelancers Union has built a membership of over 140,000 independent workers nationwide, delivers insurance to 22,000 people, and in 2009 began offering 401(k) retirement plans to freelancers nationwide. Ultimately, Freelancers Union's model could be expanded to address the needs of the more than 40 million independent workers across the U.S.  For more information about Freelancers Union, visit www.freelancersunion.org.

About HealthPlan Services

HealthPlan Services (HPS), a Water Street Healthcare Partners affiliate, is the largest independent provider of service and technology solutions to the insurance and managed care industry. Since 1970, HPS has offered customized administration and distribution services to insurers of individual, small group, voluntary and association plans, as well as providing valuable solutions to thousands of brokers and agents that sell into this market. HPS' proprietary, scalable technology provides innovative consumer-facing solutions that are turnkey self-service tools for our insurance carriers and distribution partners. HPS offers an ever-expanding array of services to a diverse and growing client base, and administers products that include medical (PPO, HMO, indemnity, consumer-driven), dental, vision, life, disability, cancer, critical illness, accident, long term care, limited medical, as well as various other ancillary insurance. HPS is committed to providing extraordinary service to its customers. For more information about HPS, visit www.healthplan.com.

About Water Street Healthcare Partners

Water Street Healthcare Partners is a leading private equity firm focused exclusively on health care. With more than $1 billion of capital under management, Water Street is one of the most active investors in the health care industry. The firm has a strong track record of building market-leadership companies across key growth sectors in health care. It has partnered with some of the world's leading health care companies on its investments, including: Gentiva Health Services, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic and Smith & Nephew. Water Street's team is comprised of industry executives and private equity professionals with decades of experience investing in and operating global health care businesses. The firm is headquartered in Chicago. For more information about Water Street, visit www.wshp.com.

SOURCE HealthPlan Services