WPUSA announces Healthy Workers coverage for small business workers

Added March 3rd, 2010

While health reform is a debating topic in Washington, D.C., it is actually taking place here in Silicon Valley.

The coalition that developed the first-ever universal children's health coverage program -- Working Partnerships USA (WPUSA), the Santa Clara Family Health Plan and the Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System -- unveiled an affordable, comprehensive health coverage plan for small businesses and their employees at a press conference Monday, March 1.

The plan is designed to address the needs of small businesses, to provide employer-based coverage to an underserved segment of the workforce; and to be a model for the rest of the state and nation in health care reform.

"The crippling economic recession and ongoing increases in health care premiums continue to make it next to impossible for working families to afford health insurance," said Cindy Chavez, WPUSA’s executive director. "Healthy Workers is a public-private collaboration that provides an affordable option for working families and small businesses, and it represents a model for what can be achieved nationwide."

Healthy Workers targets Santa Clara County small businesses with two to 50 employees, which do not currently provide health care coverage. Employees must live in the county to be eligible, work at least 20 hours per week and earn less than $18 an hour. Members will receive care from a network of public and private providers including Valley Medical Center, county and community clinics. The Santa Clara Family Health Plan, which administers Medi-Cal, Healthy Families and Healthy Kids and has nearly 120,000 members, will also manage and coordinate enrollment for Healthy Workers.

The cost of the Healthy Workers is roughly half the cost of other comparable health insurance plans that offer this level of benefit. Monthly premiums for employers are $150 per covered worker and employees contribute an additional $75.

Speaking at the press conference were Liz Kniss of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors; Bob Brownstein, policy and research director of Working Partnerships USA; Elizabeth Darrow, CEO of the Santa Clara Family Health Plan; Robin Roche, executive director of the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center; Steve Van Dorn, president and general manager of the Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce and Convention-Visitors Bureau; and Dennis King, executive director of the Silicon Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

"While Congress debates health care, Santa Clara County is moving forward to provide medical coverage for our workers," said Assemblymember Jim Beall, who spearheaded the state enabling legislation for the program. "I encourage our small business employers to join the Healthy Workers plan. It's a good deal for their employees, and it's a good deal for their bottom line."

WPUSA is a leading public policy and research institute that builds partnerships with community groups, labor unions and faith based organizations to develop policy solutions that improve the lives of working families in Silicon Valley.

For more information, call Ann Gray at the Santa Clara Family Health Plan at (408) 410-0811 or email at agray@scfhp.com.

Permalink