WLM | health
A QUIET,
Determined Journey
By Caitlin Rooney
Images courtesy of WINhealth
A
small, largely unknown
not-for-profit health plan
in the Southeast corner of
the state, made a quick, sudden,
and bold move onto the Wyoming
health insurance scene as the
Affordable Care Act (ACA) rapidly
turned from a vision into a reality.
The unprecedented growth of the
company left its leaders, board
members, and employees hands-toknees, winded, as they sprinted to
the finish line. In this case, the finish
line was the opening of the Health
Insurance Marketplace, also known
as the “exchange,” in 2013. But, the
work is never done in this new era of
health insurance where change is the
only constant. Despite the arduous
implementation of the ACA, the
relentless spirt of the staff and the
realization of untapped potential left
them energized and ready for more.
WINhealth got its start in 1996
under the name WINhealth
Partners. The company was,
and still is, licensed as a Health
Maintenance Organization (HMO),
the only one domiciled in Wyoming.
The company was born out of a joint
venture between Cheyenne Regional
Medical Center, a county-owned 277
bed general acute hospital located
in Cheyenne WY, and Southeast
Wyoming Preferred Physicians
(SWPP), an Independent Practice
Association (IPA) consisting of
32
approximately 180 physicians and
other healthcare professionals in
Laramie County, WY. The original
purpose of WINhealth was twofold:
•
Keep people from leaving the
state for their health care needs
•
Keep competing managed care
companies from entering the region
Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Summer 2015
While components of the initial
purpose of WINhealth Partners live
on today, the company has evolved
on all fronts.
As the Affordable Care Act
began to unfold, WINhealth
carefully watched and listened,
contemplating their next move.