CONTACT: Kailey Bender
Lindsay, Stone & Briggs
Office: (608) 268-5309 kbender@lsb.com
MADISON, Wis., December 3, 2013 – Navitus Health Solutions, LLC announced today that it has signed a contract to provide comprehensive and cost-effective pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services to Maine Community Health Options (MCHO), a Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) authorized through the Affordable Care Act. Based in Lewiston, Maine, MCHO has signed an agreement with Navitus for three years and is expecting to attract at least 15,000 subscribers in its first year. Coverage for MCHO’s members begins January 1, 2014.
MCHO is a new entrant to the health care market, and is among the issuers approved in the U.S. under the Affordable Insurance Exchange program. The nonprofit health insurance issuer will compete in both the exchange and commercial markets in Maine, providing affordable coverage to individuals and businesses. CO-OPs, which are member-led, are designed for greater accountability in their delivery of high quality and affordable health insurance options. Profits are reinvested into the CO-OP to lower member costs and provide additional services.
“MCHO is wholly invested in bringing the greatest value of coverage to Maine people and businesses, and our selection of Navitus is a clear reflection of this dedication to our value proposition,” said Kevin Lewis, CEO for MCHO. “Navitus supports our value-based benefit design and is a committed partner to reducing the total cost of care, while arriving at improved total population health status for the people of Maine.”
Navitus assists members in improving their health and passes along 100 percent of savings to its plan sponsors, including all network rate and manufacturer rebate improvements made over the contract term. As such, both MCHO and its members will enjoy more affordable prescription coverage with Navitus.
“We are excited to partner with MCHO in this new venture. Since our inception, we’ve challenged the status quo of the PBM industry. We take transparency and full pass-through to new heights to put control in our clients’ hands. Our business model lends itself extremely well to the CO-OP model and ensures clients and members receive the lowest cost for their pharmacy benefits,” said Terry Seligman, President & CEO of Navitus.
About Maine Community Health Options
MCHO is a new, nonprofit health insurance issuer in the state of Maine. It functions as a CO-OP as defined under section 1322 of the Affordable Care Act. MCHO is focused on improving the patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction), improving the health of populations, and reducing the per capita cost of health care. The fundamental purpose of MCHO is to create and develop innovative forms of health care delivery and engagement so as to produce better health care value through improved health outcomes at lower total costs. To achieve this purpose, MCHO offers managed health care products that are not currently offered by commercial-type insurance entities and that benefit its members as well as the community as a whole. For more information about Maine Community Health Options, visit www.maineoptions.org or call toll-free 1-855-624-6463.
About Navitus
Navitus Health Solutions, LLC is a full service, URAC-accredited pharmacy benefit management company. As a zero-spread, full pass through pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), Navitus aligns performance with plan sponsors’ benefit goals to deliver comprehensive clinical programs and cost-saving strategies that lower drug trend and promote good member health. Navitus provides its flexible services to government entities, self-funded employers, coalitions, labor organizations, third-party administrators, and health plans, including managed Medicaid and Medicare Part D. For more information about Navitus Health Solutions’ real solutions to the rising cost of health care, visit www.navitus.com or call 877-571-7500.
