Uniform Medical History Form Makes it Easier for Small Groups to Apply for Insurance Benefit Rates
May 5, 2009 - Virginia Beach, VA - For businesses (groups) with two to 24 employees, Optima Health will be using an application developed in partnership with the Virginia Bureau of Insurance. Known as the "Virginia Small Group Health Insurance Medical History Form," the application offers small employers a uniform means for providing employee information to insurers when applying for group health insurance benefits or seeking information on benefits and rates.
Prior to this uniform application, each insurance company offered its own form, requiring small employers to submit information redundantly and inefficiently.
Optima Health was one of the insurance companies that partnered with the Virginia Bureau of Insurance to design the new form. Optima's voluntary participation in utilizing this uniform application offers small employers much needed relief from redundancy and inefficiency. More than 78 percent of small group benefit administrators/employers participating in a January 2009 Optima Health survey strongly agreed that Optima Health is "easy to do business with."
“We are pleased to be able to be a part of a positive solution for our small group employers,” comments John E. DeGruttola, senior vice president of marketing and sales at Optima Health. “Something as simple as this form can make dealing with insurance carriers so much easier and that’s always our goal.”
The uniform application is the result of legislation passed by the 2008 Virginia General Assembly. House Bill 728 directed the Bureau of Insurance to convene a work group made up of representatives from insurers, insurance agent organizations, employer organizations, and the Virginia Association of Health Plans to develop - by July 1, 2009 - a uniform group health insurance application form.
31/2009
Sentara.com