Dive Brief:
- Harken Health, an independently operated subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, will offer ACA health plans to residents of Cook County, Illinois when the third open enrollment period begins Nov. 1, the company told the Chicago Tribune.
- While the startup is limited to Cook County, that's still a major market considering it includes Chicago and has a population larger than that of 29 individual U.S. states, according to Wikipedia.
- Harken's entry adds to previous fluctuation in the Illinois marketplace following the departure of Assurant Health, which is shutting down, and the removal of a popular plan by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois.
Dive Insight:
Harken Health is taking its cues from recent trends under the ACA implementing an integrated care model that combines a plan with its own clinics, utilizes health coaches and behavioral health specialists, and coordinates care with specialists.
It is also aiming for simplicity by eliminating coinsurance. "I don't know what coinsurance means," Harken CEO Tom Vanderheyden told the Tribune. "I don't want to know what coinsurance means because 99% of people on the planet don't and ideally shouldn't."
Members will have copays for prescription drugs but receive an unlimited number of free primary care visits--specifically at any of Harken's four designated doctor's offices. They will also have access to UnitedHealth's Chicago area network, the Tribune reported, which includes Northwestern Memorial Hospital, University of Chicago Medicine, and Lurie Children's Hospital.