Altarum introduces innovative new health benefit plan
To provide consumers with an affordable alternative to high deductible health plans (HDHPs), Altarum has created an innovative new model for those who use health care the most. The Medical Episode Spending Allowance (MESA) plan, developed with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is especially well suited for those with chronic or serious health conditions, and takes value-based insurance design to a whole new level, improving quality of care while lowering costs.
“Employers and consumers are looking for alternatives to increasingly unaffordable health coverage, and finding a solution that works is essential,” said François de Brantes, vice president and director of Altarum’s Center for Payment Innovation. “That’s what our MESA Blueprint is all about. By turning the high deductible health plan on its head, the MESA plan significantly reduces the potential for people with on-going illnesses from foregoing needed care.”
MESA’s incentives are finely calibrated to encourage consumers to seek out high value care and for providers to deliver it. The plan is based on a reference pricing model, so consumers can choose service providers that offer high quality care at a lower price.
Members pay out-of-pocket only when the cost of care extends above the specified allowance for a given episode of care. Plan members who select network providers that have accepted financial risk—for example through a bundled payment—could potentially avoid out-of-pocket expenses entirely. MESA also arms consumers with tools to research procedures, identify providers in their area, and view providers' costs and quality ratings, so they can select the best care.
“As Americans are being asked to pay more for their health care, health insurance innovations, such as the Medical Episode Spending Allowance (MESA), that align consumer and provider incentives on quality and cost measures are an essential step forward,” said IHPI member Mark Fendrick, MD, director of the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based insurance Design. “Strategies that reduce the patients’ out of pocket cost burden for clinically indicated services provided by from high performing clinicians are a necessary and important strategies to achieve the Triple Aim.”