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Nemours Provides Fully Paid Health Care Benefit Program for Children of Employees Nationwide

Posted on: Tuesday, 20 June 2006, 09:00 CDT

Nemours, one of the nation's largest children's health systems, announced 'Bridge to a Healthy Future' - a nationwide benefit program for eligible full-time employees providing comprehensive health care coverage for children ages 0-18 years through a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan at no cost to the employee. The program celebrates its first year of completion with in-network coverage for children of eligible full-time employees paid with no deductibles, co-payments or prescription costs for primary, specialty or emergency care. When services within network are accessed through the program, there is no premium paid by eligible employees to enroll eligible children in this plan. Nemours is dedicated to this benefit because it aligns with its corporate mission to provide leadership, institutions and services to restore and improve the health of children through care and programs not readily available, with one high standard of quality and distinction regardless of the recipient's financial status.

"We believe that we have a responsibility for the greater wellness of our employee family. This benefit directly aligns with Nemours expressed mission to improve the health of children in this country," stated Terri M. Young, Nemours vice president of human resources. "As we seek to change the quality of medical care for children in America, we realized that we must first care for the children of our own employees."

The Bridge to a Healthy Future program was initiated in 2005 and is part of the Nemours comprehensive benefit package. As part of the announcement about the plan, which was first implemented in 2005, Nemours stated that the 2005 year-end total claims and administrative costs related to this plan amounted to nearly $6.4 million, which represents approximately $180 per member per month, for each of the 3,364 children enrolled, and 24 percent of Nemours' total employee health benefit cost. Nemours overall health insurance increased to trend among other companies with overall health insurance expenses increasing 15.43 percent over 2004. Looking at aggregate increase data from 2003 to 2005, health insurance only increased 7.57 percent and the average claim cost only increased 8.91 percent each year. These numbers include both the Bridge to a Healthy Future and adult medical prescription coverage.

The Bridge to a Healthy Future program was created in part to help attract and retain a quality workforce. With no other employer in the health care field, or any other business for-profit or not-for-profit offering this benefit, Nemours has set itself apart from other organizations nationally. While Nemours already has below average employee turnover rates, it is estimated this benefit will continue to lower that rate each year. Nemours anticipates that a realized reduction in employee turnover rate and turnover cost will help offset the cost of the Bridge to a Healthy Future program. Currently Nemours has 4,285 employees nationwide.

"This benefit makes the overall wellness and quality of life all the better," stated Patoya Henderson, a Nemours employee. "Access to affordable, quality health care for my children is a top priority and having this benefit brings me and my family peace of mind everyday. I can't imagine life without this benefit."

Employee Impact - Example: nurse earning $45,000 per year

For a nurse earning $45,000 per year, the savings in employee contributions for insuring two dependent children represent between 1 and 4 percent of their pay, depending upon the plan selected. Further, because the Bridge to a Healthy Future program covers encounter fees at 100 percent, the employee will save additional money throughout the year in varying amounts depending on the plan previously selected and the number and types of encounters per family. A typical individual deductible in many plans is $300, and this nurse would save primary care, ER and specialist co-pays plus 20 percent coinsurance - items which add up to a maximum out-of-pocket per individual of $1,500 for a possible total savings consistent with adding up to 10 percent of their pay. The premise is that the net increase in the associate's available income creates a compelling financial incentive to remain a Nemours employee.

About Nemours

Nemours provides institutions and services to improve the health of children. Employing over 400 pediatric physicians, subspecialists and surgeons, Nemours cared for approximately a quarter of a million children during nearly one million encounters in 2005, making Nemours one of the nation's largest children's health systems.

In addition to the many ongoing research, education, health and prevention programs, Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, and major children's specialty centers in Delaware (Wilmington), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr), New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees) and many primary care pediatric practices throughout Delaware. Additionally, the most visited health care Web site online for parents, kids, and teens, http://www.kidshealth.org is a project of Nemours.

Nemours is affiliated with the Mayo Clinic, Thomas Jefferson University, University of Florida, University of Delaware, Christiana Care Health System, Main Line Health System, Virtua Health, AtlantiCare Regional Health System, Baptist Medical Center (Wolfson Children's Hospital), Orlando Regional Medical Center (Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women) and Sacred Heart Children's Hospital. Additional information can be found at http://www.nemours.org.

Source: Business Wire

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