M•PLAN WILL OFFER COMPLEMENTARY CARE DISCOUNTS TO MEMBERS

INDIANAPOLIS, (December 19, 2000)-- Complementary care has become increasingly popular over the past decade as more people have begun to look at their health holistically. That is why M·Plan will offer its members discounts for chiropractic, acupuncture and massage therapy services beginning January 1, 2001. M·Plan is among the first of health plans to offer these types of discounts in Indiana.

M·Plan, one of Indiana's largest health plans, has contracted with American Specialty Health Networks to provide its members with up to a 25 percent discount on these services through the organization's participating providers. American Specialty Health Networks offers providers throughout the state of Indiana as well as nationally.

"More and more people are using chiropractic, acupuncture and massage therapy services to supplement the traditional health care services that they receive from their doctors,"aid Dr. Joe Fox, M·Plan's medical director. "We wanted to provide our members with more value by arranging discounts for these services."

The discounts are a feature of M·Plan and not a covered benefit. Members will receive these discounts from the participating providers and pay the providers directly.

The New England Journal of Medicine published a report in 1993 that stated Americans made about 425 million complementary care visits per year and that expenditures for these services were comparable to the non-reimbursed expenses for all hospitalizations. Research also shows that the majority of patients who use complementary care services do not believe one must choose between traditional medicine and complementary care. Instead, they seek to integrate both types of services into their health care.

"Most Americans now use some form of complementary health care each year – chiropractic, acupuncture, massage therapy and other services. We are pleased to support M·Plan's efforts to develop quality-driven, cost-effective programs for their members," said George DeVries, president and chief executive officer of American Specialty Health Networks.

M·Plan is one of Indiana's largest health plans, serving about 160,000 members. Its health networks and physicians are located throughout the state, including Indianapolis, Anderson, Avon, Bedford, Brownsburg, Carmel, Danville, Evansville, Fishers, Fort Wayne, Greenwood, Kokomo, Lebanon, Martinsville, Mooresville, New Castle, Noblesville, Plainfield and South Bend.