CHARLESTON, W. Va., March 17, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- American Specialty Health (ASH), the nation's leading complementary health care organization, is debuting new health plan coverages here that allow West Virginia employers to provide insurance benefits for complementary and alternative health care. This makes popular treatments such as chiropractic/manual manipulation, acupuncture, massage therapy, and dietetic counseling more accessible for employees.
Employers with 51 or more employees are able to purchase these benefits as a supplemental group benefit, similar to purchasing vision, dental, or behavioral health coverage. The benefits are offered by American Specialty Health Insurance Company (ASH Insurance), a subsidiary of ASH, and are available for both in-state and out-of-state employees.
Employers are increasingly eager to offer complementary health care coverage because of growing evidence that it can help reduce employee medical utilization as well as the overall costs of health care, according to George DeVries, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of ASH. In a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, employees with chiropractic insurance coverage had 41 percent fewer hospitalizations for back pain than employees without chiropractic coverage. They also had 32 percent fewer back surgeries and significantly lower utilization rates for CT/MRI scans and X-rays than employees without chiropractic insurance.
Also, employers are interested because of growing employee demand for complementary health services. According to a recent Centers for Disease Control study, 36 percent of consumers use some sort of complementary or alternative therapy. And in a 2005 Consumer Reports survey of 34,000 readers, consumers preferred hands-on therapies such as chiropractic treatment over conventional therapies, including prescription drugs, for back and arthritis pain.
"Consumers today are choice-driven," said Douglas Metz, D.C., chief health services officer for American Specialty Health. "Not only do they want more choice in consumer goods, like TVs and automobiles, but they want more choice in services, especially health services. While some people may prefer to take a prescription drug to feel better, others want a more natural approach, through massage therapy, acupuncture, or chiropractic care. It is this demand for choice and more individualized care that is boosting the popularity of complementary health services."
DeVries added that specialty insurers like ASH are helping to broaden the diversity of coverages available today. "American Specialty Health is entering West Virginia to meet a growing need that is often unfulfilled by mainstream insurers," said DeVries. "As a result, employers who were previously unable to obtain such coverage from their current health plan can purchase it directly from us for just pennies on the dollar. With medical costs continuing to increase, more and more employers will be looking to less costly options for care of employees," he said.
Employees covered by ASH Insurance can access a network of contracted providers. Insureds who travel out of state additionally have access to a national provider network of contracted acupuncturists, chiropractors, dietitians, massage therapists, medical doctors, and osteopathic physicians. In many cases, ASH Insurance may also cover employees residing in other states.
ASH is the nation's leading specialty benefits organization for complementary health care, providing health benefits, health education, affinity network, and wellness programs to employer groups, trust funds, health plans, and insurance carriers nationwide. Based in San Diego, ASH has more than 500 employees and covers more than 12.4 million members in benefit programs nationwide. Its subsidiary, ASH Insurance, is licensed or admitted as an insurer in 43 states and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit ASHCompanies.com or call (800) 848-3555.
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