Lower Cost, Better Service, More Control
Throughout Alaska and the Greater Pacific Northwest
The Health Care Cost Management Corporation of Alaska, Inc. (HCCMCA) helps participating member health plans save money and control health care costs by negotiating better pricing on health benefit services than members could negotiate on their own. We do this by arranging discounts with area hospitals, physicians and provider groups as well as with vision, hearing, disease management and prescription drug service providers. We also offer access to programs that reduce administrative expenses, and provide value-added benefits that include improved service.
By working together through the HCCMCA, participating health plans in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Nevada benefit from lower pricing, improved market position, administrative cost savings and the ability to share best practices.
In The News
2011 Health Fair Results
HCCMCA Newsletter
Download our Winter 2012 Newsletter.
Upcoming Events
HCCMCA Membership Meetings
- May 24
- August 16
- November 27
HCCMCA Fall Health Fairs
NOTE: If your member health plan would like to participate in the 2012 Health Fairs, please contact Lauren Pace at Parker, Smith & Feek at 907-865-6812 no later than July 20, 2012.
Schedule
Alaska:
9/22 Juneau - Centennial Hall, 101 Egan Drive
9/29 & 30 Fairbanks - Carlson Center, 2010 Second Ave.
10/6 Soldotna - Central Peninsula Hospital, 250 Hospital Place
10/6 Anchorage - AK Regional Hospital, 2801 DeBarr Road
10/13 Mat-Su - Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, 2500 S. Woodworth Loop, Palmer
10/20 & 21 Anchorage - AK Regional Hospital, 2801 DeBarr Road
Washington:
9/29 - Tri-Cities - Local 598’s Hall, 1328 Road 28, Pasco
10/6 - Spokane - Red Lion, W. 303 North River Drive
10/27 - Seattle - NEW LOCATION: IBEW Local 46, 19802 62nd Ave S, Kent
Puget Sound Health Alliance
click here for upcoming events
The Alaska Health Care Commission
June 14 – 15
NLAHCC (National Labor Alliance of Health Care Coalitions)
“Power of Collective Purchasing and Collaboration”– co-hosts HCCMCA and National CooperativeRx
June 20, Teamsters Hall, Tukwila WA
Resources for Support
of SB 116
- Sample Alaska Support Letter for SB 116 CBWC Programs
- Letter in Support of SB 116
- ADR Talking Points
Highlights
REPORT FINDS HIGH WORKERS’ COMP COSTS IN ALASKA
Alaska’s physicians are reimbursed at a rate approximately 59% higher than the average in nearby states, with the biggest discrepancy found in the rate of reimbursement for workers’ compensation claims, where the reimbursement rate is 190% higher.
Reimbursement rates are not the only way Alaska outpaces other states in the workers’ comp arena. The state also has the highest workers’ comp premium rates in the country. Medical expenses now constitute more than 75% of Alaska’s total overall workers’ comp costs.
According to HCCMCA Executive Director Fred Brown, “These findings highlight the need for workers’ compensation reform in Alaska. Our high costs are due, in part, to the fact that current Alaska workers’ comp laws don’t allow enforcement of any medical discount pricing arrangements. This is one of the things that SB 116, now being considered in the legislature, seeks to correct.”
(
Read more on page 2 of our winter newsletter.)
One On One
MEMBERS APPRECIATE HCCMCA HEALTH FAIRS
Jeff Owen, business manager, Local 32, Seattle Area Plumbers and Pipefitters and a trustee of its Health and Welfare Trust, got his blood tested at the Seattle Health Fair. He was “pleasantly surprised” by the results and even more impressed with the “extremely detailed report” he received. “It not only gives you your numbers, it tells you the kind of changes—what to eat more or less of, how much exercise you need—to get in better shape.”
Local 32 member Jerry Mahoney and his wife Jacquie are taking the advice they received to heart. “My husband and I have made some lifestyle adjustments,” she said. “We are confident that we will benefit from these changes over time by increased energy, well being and be at a reduced risk for certain heath conditions in the future.”
( Read more on page 1 of our winter newsletter.)