As Marietta personal injury attorneys, most of our clients seek medical care at some point during their when they are involved in an auto accident, slip and fall, or other incident. Their medical care is of utmost importance to the attorneys and staff at Jones & Swanson, so we often find ourselves involved in negotiations with health insurance companies. For that reason we find the partnership between Piedmont Healthcare and WellStar Heath System to form their own health insurance company to be a significant occurrence.
The two hospital systems announced the alliance on December 17 with goals of offering the general public Medicare Advantage, commercial and self-funded offerings to the public. The plan is scheduled to launch in 2014 for employees of Piedmont Healthcare and WellStar Health System and their families. This addition to health care plans available currently will likely increase the competition in Georgia’s marketplace. This new plan means that the hospitals will have a monetary stake in maintaining patients’ health and keeping costs low. This also allows the systems to access every bit of information about each patient’s care, from medical files to insurance accounts, which could provide better means of achieving low health care costs and excellent service. The two systems also claim this new system will provide the ability to prevent expensive health events, such as hospitalizations, by studying patients more carefully. Representatives also claim that it will allow the hospitals to provide care without intruding like many insurance companies currently do.
Citizens that have private health care currently engage in a three-way system between themselves, insurance companies, and hospitals. This new Piedmont-WellStar plan will allow a direct contact to be made between patients and the hospitals, cutting out the third party.
These plans for partnership have already begun, as Piedmont filed an application for the new organization through the Georgia Department of Insurance. The new plan will be a joint venture operating a for-profit company.
These new developments in Georgia health care affect each and every Georgia citizen because it foreshadows the many changes we may see made in the next few years. President Obama’s new healthcare plan is set to make significant changes for most Americans by 2015 and many states may see combinations of hospitals, such as Piedmont and Wellstar, in an effort to offset these effects. If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident, the first step is to seek medical care. Regardless of your insurance coverage, your well-being is of utmost importance. If you have questions about medical insurance coverage, do not hesitate to contact us today at (770) 427-5498. We will be glad to help in any way possible.
Categories: Georgia Laws, Health & Wellness, Insurance Claims
