HealthPlus Announces Statewide Availability of 'Signature' Health Plans for Individuals and Families

FLINT, Mich., Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthPlus of Michigan's HealthPlus Signature insurance plans for direct purchase by individuals and families are now available throughout Michigan. The plans are designed specifically for individuals 19 to 64 and their families who are looking to purchase affordable health coverage.

Information on HealthPlus Signature plans as well as online quoting and enrollment is available at www.healthplus.org/SigPR.html. Interested persons can also reach Signature sales at 1-877-562-0907 or contact your independent insurance agent for more information.

"We are pleased to be able to expand the availability of our Signature plans to all Michigan residents seeking individual or family health insurance coverage in this difficult economy," says Nancy Jenkins, HealthPlus vice president of membership growth. Jenkins notes that the HealthPlus Signature plans may be ideal for individuals who are:

• being dropped from a parent's employer-sponsored coverage
• self-employed
• considering early retirement
• losing their employer-sponsored health coverage
• no longer eligible for government-sponsored health coverage
• between jobs or just starting a job

As a result of health care reform nationally, many carriers have discontinued selling child-only policies or have limited open enrollment periods. HealthPlus is continuing to offer child-only plans to those 18 and under.

"We remain committed to providing options for families in need of coverage for their children. Child-only polices are an important option since some employers offer insurance just to employees, leaving kids uncovered," says Graham Smith, HealthPlus Director of Medicare Programs and Individual sales.

Michigan consumers can choose from three types of HealthPlus Signature plans.

• HealthPlus Signature One is designed for young adults between the ages of 19 and 30 with no dependents. It's intended as a "starter plan" to meet the health coverage needs and budgets of recent high school or college graduates, those starting a career or looking for a job, and those who are no longer eligible under their parents' coverage.

• HealthPlus Signature Savings is compatible with tax-deductible Health Savings Accounts. The plan has a low monthly premium and members can add pharmacy or maternity coverage.

• HealthPlus Signature Select is a traditional deductible plan designed for individuals and families. These plans also offer low premiums and optional pharmacy and maternity coverage.

A fourth HealthPlus Signature plan, HealthPlus Signature Network, has a limited service area and network of physicians, specialists and other health-care providers. This option works best for people who already have a doctor who contracts directly with HealthPlus.

The HealthPlus Signature plans, which were introduced last year, represented the first major entry into the individual health insurance market for the 30-year-old nonprofit HealthPlus of Michigan corporation. The PPO-style coverage is offered by HealthPlus of Michigan's for-profit subsidiary, HealthPlus Insurance Company, Inc.

HealthPlus is recognized across Michigan and nationwide for designing attractive, affordable, and often award-winning health plans for business and government.

About HealthPlus of Michigan

HealthPlus of Michigan - a nonprofit health-benefits company - along with its subsidiaries offers a comprehensive portfolio of HMO and PPO plans tailored to meet the needs of employers, families, individuals, and government (Medicare, Medicaid, MIChild, county health programs). Most HealthPlus benefit plans include access to extensive, online health, wellness and lifestyle resources.

For the sixth year in a row, HealthPlus of Michigan's private health plans are recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as being among the nation's best.** NCQA's Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2010-11 – Private names HealthPlus as one of the top 30 private plans nationwide; the company's commercial and Medicare plans have been accredited as "Excellent" by NCQA for the past 12 and 9 consecutive years, respectively.

Founded in 1979, HealthPlus - with a staff of more than 400 at its Flint headquarters and regional offices in Saginaw and Troy - serves more than 200,000 people statewide. To advance its vision of building healthier communities, HealthPlus contributes hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to more than 200 nonprofit organizations in the communities it serves.

For more information about NCQA, visit www.ncqa.org

HEDIS® is a registered trademark of NCQA.

*The source for data contained in this publication is Quality Compass ® 2010 and is used with the permission of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Quality Compass 2010 includes certain CAHPS data. Any data display, analysis, interpretation, or conclusion based on these data is solely that of the authors, and NCQA specifically disclaims responsibility for any such display, analysis, interpretation or conclusion. Quality Compass is a registered trademark of NCQA. CAHPS® is a registered trademark of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

** According to U.S. News/NCQA "America's Best Health Insurance Plans" 2005-2009 (annual).  "America's Best Health Insurance Plans" is a trademark of U.S. News & World Report.  

SOURCE HealthPlus of Michigan