Young male thinking“Think outside the box” may be an overused expression, but when it comes to health care coverage, more and more employers are taking the advice…. and MedBen has a few thoughts on the subject.

Many self-funded employers still rely on PPO plans that control costs primarily through contracted provider network discounts. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with that approach, MedBen also features alternative coverage solutions that offer the same access to quality care as PPOs, but with savings that go “beyond the discount.”

  • The 2018 Employee Benefits Survey found that nearly 18% of health care plans now contract directly with hospitals and physicians to reduce care costs. MedBen has been facilitating direct-to-employer contracting for the past decade, bringing together employers and providers in plans that promote effective use of regional care.
  • Reference-based pricing (RBP) plans are another outside-the-box strategy gaining popularity. MedBen offers a variety of options, such as RBPs that use Medicare as the primary source of claim repricing and layered RBPs that carve out high-cost treatments. These services can be implemented individually or in combination with each other.
  • As value-based care models gain more mainstream appeal, commercial bundled payment services are finding favor with employers. MedBen draws upon its experience with Medicare bundled payments to provide the same cost-saving benefits to clients.

Contact Vice President of Sales & Marketing Brian Fargus at bfargus@medben.com to discuss what alternative coverage strategies may work best for your business.