Myhealthbank Extends Services Across Oregon
Myhealthbank, an Internet company that allows employees to select health plans for coverage by their employers, will offer its services across Oregon, the Eugene Register-Guard reports. Under Myhealthbank's Web-based system, employers make a "fixed contribution" for each employee's benefits. Employees are then able to select from a "handful" of benefit plans that are offered by Myhealthbank and its partner Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon. For example, if a company purchases a mid-level plan, employees could select it, a cheaper plan that offers less benefits or a more expensive plan that offers "more comprehensive" coverage. Employees then could either "pocket the difference" if they purchased cheaper plans or pay more for the higher-level plan. As smaller firms often are only able to offer employees one health plan, Myhealthbank says its services allow businesses to offer plans with a "variation of benefits" for their employees. Kevin Renner, Myhealthbank's vice president of marketing, said, "Employers are beginning to explore and get serious about defined contribution health care benefits that give employees greater choice, control and responsibility." Myhealthbank's "goal" is to enroll 160 Oregon employers by the end of the year (Christie, Eugene Register-Guard, 1/23).
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