In a Health Care Modernization News Flash – May 25, 2010, UnitedHealthCare released good news for restaurants, an industry that is going to be especially hard hit by federal health care reform.
Restaurant Health Care Alliance Launched
UnitedHealthcare and the National Restaurant Association announced the launch of the Restaurant Health Care Alliance on May 21. This new Alliance offers a suite of products that will help restaurant employees gain easier access to health care coverage and related products and services. Today, 4 million to 6 million of the nation’s nearly 13 million food service industry employees are uninsured at any given time.
The Alliance will be available initially to state restaurant associations in Colorado and Pennsylvania , as well as insurance agents and advisers representing restaurant clients in those states. The Alliance will expand to additional states throughout 2010.
Qualified small business member restaurants will be introduced to innovative health plan options offered by UnitedHealthcare that provide significant annual premium savings compared to traditional health plans. Individual employees who do not have employer-sponsored coverage can choose from a wide range of UnitedHealthcare’s cost-effective individual and family plans, some of which start under $100 per month. Other products, including dental plans and discount health cards, will be available.
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell called the initiative a critical “gap-filler” in a Los Angeles Times story. “At a time when we have one million uninsured Pennsylvanians, a program like this is very welcome,” Rendell said.
The resources and tools developed by the Alliance will be available online at .
If you have questions about health care reform and providing employee benefits, contact John Riley at 310-414-9524 or email us info@johnrileyins.com.