Tufts approved to sell R.I. HMO products

PROVIDENCE – Tufts Health Plan has received state regulatory approval to start selling its HMO products in Rhode Island, with effective dates of July 1 or later, substantially expanding the options the Watertown, Mass.-based insurer can offer local employers.
Tufts’ PPO products have been available to Rhode Island employer groups since January, and the insurer already has more than 20,000 members in the state – including some who were in groups already insured by Tufts before it officially entered the market – and a growing network of providers that is already “comparable to its competition,” Tufts said.
The company will offer 20 HMO plan options, however, that had not been available before, including a Medicare Complement Plan and the state-required Healthpact option, along with other HMO plan designs that share core benefits but vary in copayments and deductibles. The PPO options are customizable, so there is no specific number of options.
In a news release, Brian Pagliaro, senior vice president of sales and client services, said Tufts’ goal is to improve health care quality through its products and programs.
“As I speak to employers, members and even my neighbors, it is clear to me that people in Rhode Island are eager to partner with health plans that seek to keep health care costs as affordable as possible while also investing in long-term programs and partnerships that increase the overall quality of care in this state,” he said. “That philosophy of smart health management combined with administrative discipline is really the bedrock of Tufts Health Plan and why so many are choosing us to provide their health care coverage.”
Tufts Health Plan is a 723,000-member nonprofit health plan. Its Tufts Health Plan’s HMO and POS are ranked second in the nation and its Medicare Advantage program is ranked among the top 10 in the nation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. For more information, go to www.tuftshealthplan.com.