FEATURE: UHA
WRITTEN MARCH 11, 2020
W
hen it comes to health
care, employers and
their employees have
the same objective:
access to a plan that
is both competitive and cost effective.
UHA, one of Hawaii’s largest health
insurance companies, has been providing
that coverage for close to 25 years, with a
primary focus on innovation.
According to National Health
Expenditure Data from the Center for
Medicare and Medicaid Services, spending
on healthcare services jumped from $74.6
billion in 1970 to $3.6 trillion in 2018.
The increase in costs per capita during
this period was six-fold—from $1,832
in 1970 to $11,172 in 2018 (in constant
dollars).
UHA is on a mission to help lower these
spiraling costs—and save both employers
and employees money in the process. The
company was the first in Hawaii to offer
100% coverage for wellness and preventive
medicine, which keeps people healthier
and can reduce the need for costly care
down the road. Over 475 companies have
participated with UHA’s subsidiary, the
Hawai`i Health at Work Alliance
(HH@WA), which helps companies
develop sustainable wellness solutions for
their employees. Benefits offered by UHA
include being the first in the nation to
offer direct hearing aid coverage through
Costco, first in Hawaii to offer extended
palliative care services, first health insurer
in Hawaii to offer the YMCA Diabetes
Prevention Program, and first health
insurer in the nation to offer the YMCA's
Healthy Weight and Your Child program
to combat childhood obesity.
Keeping people healthy without drowning
in bureaucracy has been a part of UHA’s
DNA since its founding in 1996 by a
group of physician teachers from the John
A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM)
at the University of Hawai‘i. They sought
to not only provide ethical and effective
care, but also to develop physician-driven
healthcare that was not overshadowed by
insurance company mandates. “In 1996,
12
"UHA IS COMMITTED TO
THE HEALTH, WELL-BEING
AND SAFETY OF OUR
ASSOCIATES, CUSTOMERS,
AND COMMUNITY AND
IS WORKING TO ENSURE
OUR MEMBERS HAVE
INFORMATION AND
ACCESS TO THE CARE THAT
THEY NEED.
VISIT UHAHEALTH.COM/
COVID19 FOR THE LATEST
UPDATES.”
- UHA, COVID-19 RESPONSE,
MAY 1, 2020
AS A PHYSICIAN-
FOUNDED HEALTH
INSURER, INNOVATION
IS IN UHA’S DNA
managed care was alive and well,” said
UHA CEO Howard Lee. “Physicians were
worried that medical decisions were being
made by MBAs, not doctors.”
One common thread of UHA’s approach
is to both support wellness and to
encourage members to become more
proactive in managing their own health
and well-being. “We’re on a mission to
create a culture where making healthy
choices is top of mind,” said Lee.
INTRODUCING 90/10 PREFERRED
UHA recently introduced 90/10 Preferred,
an innovative drug plan that provides
greater transparency around drug costs
and encourages cost savings. Rather
than employ, say, a standard $20 co-
payment per drug, regardless of its cost,
now members will pay a co-insurance
rate that will allow them to save money
by pursuing less-expensive, generic
medications.
“If the drug cost is $100, we would pay
$90 as your insurance company and you
would pay $10,” said Lee. “If the drug is
$10, you would pay $1.00 and we would
pay $9.00. What we’re trying to do, is
make consumers aware of the price of
that medication and shop for the best
value.”
“With the high cost of care in our
country, we have to make sure that
everyone—not only doctors, insurance
companies and hospitals, but also the
patients—understand how they can
participate in bringing down drug costs,”
he concluded. +
UHAHEALTH.COM