Companies will connect individuals who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid with the care and resources they need to improve health outcomes.
EAU CLAIRE, WI AND PHILADELPHIA, October 3, 2023– Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire, a Wisconsin, community-based Cooperative that has been optimizing the health of its members since 1972, and Belong Health, a company dedicated to advancing patient-centered healthcare and reducing the cost of caring for underserved and complex populations, today announced a partnership to help grow and operate a Medicare Advantage Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) for residents of Western and Central Wisconsin.
The plan will simplify care for 50,000 eligible Wisconsinites by coordinating Medicare and Medicaid benefits and putting the member first. It will connect D-SNP members with the health benefits they need while providing robust care management to improve their quality of care.
“For over 50 years, the Cooperative’s purpose has been to optimize the health of our members by providing resources, care coordination, and health insurance with their needs as our guide,” said Sarah North, CEO and General Manager of Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire. “Belong Health brings deep expertise in delivering special needs plans to the Cooperative to help us serve a new population of members who often have multiple medical and supportive needs.”
Belong Health works collaboratively with its community health plan partners to serve the 11 million D-SNP members with complex issues, low incomes, and pre-existing conditions in the U.S. Through partnerships with community health plans like Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire, Belong Health helps launch or grow market-leading Medicare Advantage and Special Needs Plans to deliver a more compassionate, straightforward insurance experience for their members.
Belong Health supplements existing care infrastructure with virtual and community-based resources to care for every member – even those that are historically hard to reach. The team includes operators, clinicians, registered nurses, licensed clinical social workers, and community health workers with extensive experience serving high-needs populations.
“At Belong Health, we believe high-quality health care should be accessible to all and that community-based health plans are best positioned to serve their communities as their trusted health insurance partners,” said Belong Health CEO J. Patrick Foley. “We recognize and respect the important role health plans like Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire play locally and the years they have spent establishing trusted relationships. Our job is to help them fill in the gaps that complete their existing offerings to provide the highest levels of service and meet evolving state and federal requirements while caring for their members.”
About Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire
Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire is a non-profit, member-governed health plan focused on optimizing the health of their members and communities. The Cooperative offers health plans to small and large employers, the State of Wisconsin Employee Trust Fund Group Health Insurance Program, and contracts with the State of Wisconsin as a Medical Assistance HMO. With over 65,000 members and an expansive provider network that includes most major health systems in the region, the Cooperative rounds out its offerings with a Medicare Advantage Dual-eligible Special Needs Plan. More information about becoming part of the Cooperative is at group-health.com.
About Belong Health
Belong Health delivers a compassionate, straightforward insurance experience for Medicare-eligible members by partnering with regional health plans to help them launch or grow market-leading Medicare Advantage and Special Needs Plans. High-quality health care should be accessible to all, and local regional health plans are best positioned to serve their communities as their trusted health insurance partners. http://www.belong-health.com.