Michigan Employers Can Now Pump up their Health Benefits Through Direct Purchase of Complementary and Alternative Care Plans

Detroit, MI (November 10, 2003) -- For the first time, Michigan employers can now directly purchase complementary health care benefits from a specialty benefits health insurance company, making popular health care options such as acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic and manual manipulation, and dietetic counseling available to their workforce as part of a total health benefits program.

These new benefit programs are available to Michigan businesses with 51 or more employees through American Specialty Health Insurance Company (ASH Insurance), a subsidiary of American Specialty Health, Incorporated (ASH). ASH is the nation's largest complementary health care organization, covering over 9 million members across the United States.

"With double-digit annual increases in medical premiums, employer interest in complementary health care is at an all-time high. Business managers look to these programs to help trim their long-range health costs while enhancing their benefits packages," said George DeVries, president and chief executive officer of ASH. "Employers investigating these coverages also are finding a growing body of evidence that suggests that non-traditional, less invasive therapies may result in happier, healthier employees, which could be significant in terms of reducing absentee rates and associated costs. Consequently, complementary benefit programs are one of the few programs employers are continuing to add to their employee benefit packages," added DeVries.

"Consumers have been pressuring employers and lawmakers to make complementary and alternative health insurance coverage available for some time," said Flint chiropracter Dr. Matthew Faris, who participates in the ASH provider network. "Without this coverage, consumers are forced to pay out the entire amount themselves." According to the latest study on complementary benefits, such out-of-pocket expenditures reached $27 billion in 1997 alone. With the increased use of alternative therapies since then, that figure most likely is now much higher.

Studies show that there was a 47 percent increase in total consumer visits to complementary health care providers between 1990 and 1997, exceeding the number of visits to U.S. primary care doctors.

The new product offerings in Michigan are part of ASH Insurance's strategy to help meet today's heightened consumer demand and to fulfill regulatory requirements to offer insured complementary health benefits. Michigan employees who have this benefit can access a Michigan network of more than 200 contracted providers. Furthermore, when insureds are traveling, they have in-network access to a national provider network of more than 22,000 contracted acupuncturists, chiropractors, dietitians, massage therapists, medical doctors, and osteopathic physicians. In many cases, ASH Insurance may also cover employees residing in other states.

In-network benefits range from 20, 30, 40, 50, or unlimited visits per year with copayments of $0, $5, $10, $15 or $20 per visit, depending upon plan design. Out-of-network benefits provide reimbursement of 50 percent of billed charges–up to $30 per visit, up to 10 visits per year.

ASH Insurance offers a broad range of benefit options, combinations, and plans to Michigan employers and their employees. For maximum flexibility, employers may choose from approximately 15 different combinations of complementary health care benefits. Once an employer group has selected a benefit combination, it is then able to select from as many as 25 different benefit plans for each benefit combination.

ASH is the nation's leading specialty benefits organization for complementary health care–providing benefit, health education, and affinity network programs to health plans, insurance carriers, employer groups, and tr