ZEIST, Netherlands, July 25, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Eureko's Healthcare insurer, Achmea in The Netherlands, has established new contracts with three network offices in the United States. The contracts, with these cost containment agencies, are run in conjunction with Achmea's Medical Emergency Centre, EuroCross International. These healthcare cost containment agencies are companies which can reduce the costs of medical claims by making use of one of the largest medical networks in the USA with access to a number of American hospitals. EuroCross ,which works for different clients in Europe, can generate savings of more than US$ 500.000 extra annually for Achmea's healthcare companies (Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Groene Land Achmea and PWZ Achmea). Negotiate In the United States, it's common practice to negotiate hospital bills.The official hospital claim is seldom paid. Network offices have special agreements which result in effective cost savings. Clients can save from 15% to 50%. Foreign healthcare insurers like Achmea are not in the position to negotiate such discounts. Given the increasing cost of medical care, it makes sense to use these network partners within the United States wherever possible
Agreement
EuroCross International recently started cooperation with two other international Emergency Centres, SOS International A/S in Denmark and Roland Assistance GmbH in Germany to share their experiences of the medical networks in the United States. Important information on what the various U.S. providers can offer and their effectiveness has been collected. As a result, three offices were selected, which offer high quality healthcare at competitive prices. By selecting three partners instead of one, there is greater competition between the different proposers, resulting in advantageous pricing for clients. Healthcare costs in the United States are far higher than in Europe. On the long term Achmea expects to save even more.