One change that the Trump administration has made to increase competition and options in the market is issuing new rules allowing greater access to association health plans (AHP). The National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) has seized on this opportunity and is working under a program developed by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) to offer an AHP to members. This is something the industry has been asking for, but previous rules made it impossible.
After the Trump administration changed the AHP rules, AHPs are moving forward and being offered by some large organizations, such as NAM.
The NWPCA program will offer an AHP to its members, extending affordable health care to small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in approved states.
“At NWPCA, we are proud to add this health plan that can help lower costs and increase competitive health coverage for the men and women who work hard crafting the wooden pallets that move our world,” said NWPCA president and CEO Brent McClendon.
Why join an AHP? Well, these programs usually come with lower premiums, less administrative costs, greater flexibility in terms of coverage options and fewer rules than traditional plans offered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Seizing on the size of NAM, the NWPCA is able to help its members join a very large pool with network resources.
The plan, called NAM Health Care (www.namhealthcare.com), was developed to meet the unique health care needs of manufacturers. It will offer a portfolio of health benefits options insured by UnitedHealthcare. In states where these plans are available, businesses with 2 to 99 employees will be able to choose from a variety of PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) and HSA (Health Savings Account) health plans.
“In working with NAM Health Care, our manufacturing members and their employees have greater access to a network of preferred providers,” added McClendon.
Members will also have access to UnitedHealthcare’s Choice Plus care provider network of more than 1.3 million physicians and care professionals, 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. Under NAM Health Care, eligible member companies also will have access to supplemental benefits including dental, vision and life. UnitedHealthcare will work with any licensed and appointed agents who want to sell NAM Health Care.
The preferred agent for this program is Mercer (www.mercer.com), which will offer consulting services regarding health benefit offerings and contribution strategies, marketing support to sign up and enroll their employees, plan administration and compliance consulting services. Member employer groups may continue to work with their current agents and consultants to obtain quotes through the NAM Health Care offering.
Those who decide to work with Mercer, the Mercer Affinity 365+SM platform will provide members technology for obtaining quotes for employee benefits, facilitating enrollment and providing ongoing benefit administration to help drive cost efficiencies and employee engagement.
The NWPCA program is being offered only to association members and not to the overall industry to comply with AHP rules. To request a quote for these plans, where available, interested businesses may visit palletcentral.com/health.
According to the NWPCA, NAM Health Care is an industry-based Association Health Plan (AHP) that’s fully ACA-compliant. Plans are not available to member employers in all states. See the map on page 59 for more details on AHP availability in your area. Note that AHP availability is subject to change.
