Elevance subsidiary Wellpoint adding ACA plans in three states
The company will be debuting new individual marketplace plans in Florida, Maryland and Texas beginning January 2025.
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Floridians looking for individual or family health plans will have new options from Elevance Health subsidiary Wellpoint during open enrollment for coverage beginning January 2025.
The company will be debuting new individual marketplace plans in three states – Florida, Maryland and Texas. The plans will be available in 48 counties across Texas and Florida.
"Our organization has been at the forefront of healthcare innovation by designing health benefits to address diverse health needs and ensuring access to affordable, quality healthcare," said Steve Martenet, president for individual business at Elevance Health. "For the first time, we are now offering Floridians a suite of comprehensive individual health plans, giving them additional options to protect themselves and their families."
Affordable Care Act open enrollment for 2025 begins on November 1 and ends on January 15, 2025. However, open enrollment dates may vary by state.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
In Texas, Wellpoint plans will be available in numerous counties, including Bexar, Brazoria, Caldwell, Comal, Crosby, Dallas, Ellis, El Paso, Fort Bend, Guadalupe, Harris, Hunt, Jefferson, Lubbock, Lynn, Matagorda, Medina, Montgomery, Orange, Rockwall, Tarrant, Terry, Walker and Wilson.
"At Wellpoint, we believe that everyone deserves access to affordable and quality healthcare," said Greg Thompson, president of Wellpoint Texas. "Our local presence enables us to design our benefits and programs to fit the unique health needs of each community we serve, and we are excited to expand access to quality healthcare to even more Texans."
In Florida, the plans will be available in Brevard, Broward, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Lucie and Volusia counties.
Wellpoint (formerly Amerigroup) has been serving Texans for nearly 30 years as a coordinator of Medicaid managed healthcare benefits. Wellpoint caters to nearly three million Americans and is part of a family of companies serving more than 47 million people across the U.S.
Health plans start with zero-cost preventive care, and some plans include dental and vision coverage. The organization's network of doctors and hospitals also includes Spanish-speaking care providers.
THE LARGER TREND
Elevance Health, then known as Anthem, relaunched Wellpoint in 2022 to unify its Medicare, Medicaid and commercial health plans in select markets.
Wellpoint has been evolving for decades. In 1992, Blue Cross of California created the for-profit WellPoint Health Networks to operate its managed care business.
In 2004, WellPoint Health Networks and Anthem merged. The parent company originally assumed the name WellPoint, before changing its corporate name to Anthem in December 2014.
Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.
