America's Benefit Specialist August/September 2023

PRODUCT NEWS

Curative plans to expand the fully insured option statewide in the near future and then to other states later this year. The launch comes at a time when Houston residents are feeling the burden of out-of-pocket costs, including deduct ibles, copays and co-insurance, all of which are having a sig nificant impact on their overall health and well-being. A new survey of Houstonians found that within the last year, 42% of respondents have deferred seeking medical care because they were worried about paying for it and 49% have not fol lowed through with their prescribed medications because of out-of-pocket costs. Curative Insurance Company recently commissioned a survey of Houstonians enrolled in employer-sponsored insur ance plans to understand how healthcare costs affect their choices in seeking care. Among other startling findings, four in 10 (43%) Houstonians say they have trouble navigating their insurance plan and do not understand what is covered. Among those not able to un derstand what is covered by their plan, 71% say they have de ferred care and treatment in the past year. Also, 41% say their OOPs are so expensive they may have to use savings or credit cards over the past year to pay for their healthcare services that are not covered by their insurance, including their OOPs. In addition, a majority of six in 10 (66%) insured Houstonians have tapped into other financial sources (including borrowing money or cutting back on food, clothing or other basic house hold items) to cover their healthcare services. “As we grow our presence across Texas, and highlight key insights about the negative impact of health insurance deductibles on people’s overall health and well-being, it’s critical that we offer a better option that’s founded on cost transparency and zero out-of-pocket costs to Houston metro residents,” said Fred Turner, co-founder and CEO of Curative. “The Curative health plan not only offers members an exten sive choice in where and from whom they seek care, but also clarity on their plan’s benefits and the true cost of care. Our members are supported by exceptional customer service that helps them navigate every step of their personal health care journey.” The Curative plan covers wellness, preventive care, mental and behavioral health, primary and specialty care, office and hospital visits, prescription drugs and telemedicine, through a PPO network. Curative’s health plan eliminates the finan cial barriers for patients accessing health insurance by offer ing no-cost services for in-network care with the completion of a baseline visit. To qualify for $0 copays and $0 deductibles for all doctors, hospitals and other providers in its network, members need to complete the baseline visit within 120 days after enrollment. With the completion of the annual baseline visit and one competitive monthly premium, all members get access to in-network healthcare services. The Curative plan is now available to employers head quartered in Houston with 51 or more eligible employees

nationwide, with national network coverage and access to over 1 million providers nationwide. In addition to Houston, Curative’s fully insured benefit offering is currently available in the Austin and San Antonio metro areas across 20 coun ties in the south-central region of the state. The company also offers a level-funded plan throughout Texas. To learn more, visit www.curative.com.

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