Horizon BCBSNJ Launches Education Effort on the OMNIA Health Alliance

Newark, NJ (PRWEB) September 15, 2015

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey has launched an educational campaign to increase understanding among consumers, employers, and brokers about how the OMNIA Health Alliance will benefit all New Jersey residents by accelerating the move from traditional, fee-for-service health care to fee-for-value health care.

Most health care policy experts and health care economists agree that traditional, fee-for-service health care increases costs without improving the quality of care. New Jersey is the fourth most expensive state for health care, and rising costs are becoming unsustainable for consumers underscoring the need for change.

As part of the launch of the OMNIA Health Alliance dedicated to improving quality care, the patient experience, and lowering health care costs, Horizon BCBSNJ is undertaking a major education effort. The education campaign includes a website, HorizonBlue.com/OMNIA, an advertising campaign, and seminars for brokers.

"Horizon and these health systems are really doing something big, and I was very impressed by the bold approach and the level of commitment they are making to help consumers and employers have access to lower cost health insurance options as well as high quality care," said Desmond Slattery, Executive Vice President, SlatteryGA, a Division of Arthur J. Gallagher in Belmar.

Horizon BCBSNJ will also unveil new health plans next month. Members purchasing the new health plans will have access to all of Horizon BCBSNJ's current hospitals and physicians, the largest networks in the state, at essentially the same level of benefits they have today. The new health plans, however, will offer lower premiums and the ability for members to save significant out-of-pocket costs by using select Tier 1 hospitals and doctors.

"I was really impressed by Horizon's commitment to changing the status quo and working with health systems to improve consumers' overall experience with the health care system and lower costs, which will really help many of my small business clients," said Tracy Martin, President of the Martin Financial Group in Princeton.

Horizon BCBSNJ will continue to offer all of its current broad network health plans, which are expected to remain the company's most popular plans in 2016.

"The OMNIA Health Alliance and our new suite of products is a response to consumer and employer demands for innovative, lower cost health plan options that move us toward paying for the value of care provided and an improved patient experience," said Christopher M. Lepre, Senior Vice President of Market Business Units. "Our members and employers want options, and we are providing them innovative new choices to consider."

The following health systems (representing 22 hospitals), their aligned physicians, and a multispecialty physician group have joined Horizon BCBSNJ to form the OMNIA Health Alliance:

   •  Atlantic Health System
   •  Barnabas Health
   •  Hackensack University Health Network
   •  Hunterdon Healthcare
   •  Inspira Health Network
   •  Robert Wood Johnson Health System
   •  Summit Medical Group In addition to the OMNIA Health Alliance organizations listed above, the following health systems will be in Tier 1 when the new products are launched:
   •  AtlantiCare
   •  Cape Regional Medical Center
   •  Cooper University Health System
   •  Englewood Hospital
   •  Meridian Health
   •  Shore Medical Canter
   •  St. Joseph's
   •  Princeton HealthCare System

About Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state's oldest and largest health insurer is a tax-paying, not-for-profit health service corporation, providing a wide array of medical, dental, vision, and prescription insurance products and services. Horizon BCBSNJ is leading the transformation of health care in New Jersey by working with doctors and hospitals to deliver innovative, patient-centered programs that reward the quality, not quantity, of care patients receive. Learn more at HorizonBlue.com. Horizon BCBSNJ is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association serving more than 3.8 million members.

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