Shared responsibility key to Access to Healthcare Network

Finding affordable healthcare is one of the biggest challenges facing business owners today. Our Reno-based non-profit group is taking on that challenge by combining creative thinking, community partnerships, and good old-fashioned hard work, and it's changing the face of healthcare in Nevada.

Access to Healthcare Network, a 501-C3, fully licensed with the Nevada Division of Insurance, is a non-profit medical discount program for low-income, uninsured Nevadans. Its concept is simple: create a strong network of local healthcare providers who are willing to see uninsured patients for a discounted price in return for cash at the time of service. It's a win-win situation. The providers get cash up-front, which saves expenses on the administrative end, and our uninsured members get very high-quality affordable care.

AHN's provider network, which is still growing, encompasses more than 1,800 physicians and other healthcare providers statewide. These include hospitals; doctors of all specialties; imaging centers; labs; dental, vision, and hearing services; pharmacy discounts; and ancillary services ranging from optometry to physical therapy.

It's been very gratifying to watch the medical community come together for this cause. We based this program on shared responsibility. That means everyone plays a role in caring for the uninsured, so we can make sure no one group gets overwhelmed. Our network includes nearly 2,000 medical professionals, but we also have support from the business community, the banking industry, and the government. It's a true community partnership.

More than 16,000 uninsured Nevadans have received care through AHN in the past five and a half years. The program expanded into rural Nevada two years ago, and into Clark County in July, 2011. AHN is now accessible to all Nevadans, and the expansion is far from over. We're so proud of what we've created here in Nevada. We never dreamed it would grow to the point it has. What started as a way to help people while they were in between jobs, or working at a job that doesn't offer insurance, has turned into a much-needed, longer term solution for people and businesses caught in a difficult economy.

AHN's members are uninsured Nevadans who are not currently on their employer-sponsored insurance program, and who do not qualify for Medicaid, Medicare, or any other federal assistance programs. They must also meet AHN's income guidelines, meaning their family income must be between the federal poverty line and 250 percent of the federal poverty line. These are the people who tend to fall through the cracks. We knew that to make a real difference we had to help this group first.

It's important to understand that Access to Healthcare Network is not health insurance. It's a non-profit medical discount program; members pay their own way. But the discounts offered through the program are significant, and the membership fees are very low. Individual memberships cost $35 per month. Children can be added for an additional $10 per month each.

Once enrolled, AHN members have access to steep discounts at participating medical offices throughout the state.

For instance, an AHN member pays only $400 for an overnight hospital stay. That $400 fee is all-inclusive, covering medicines, imaging services, or any other hospital service required by the members during their stay. If an AHN member is in the hospital for more than seven days, their hospital bill is capped at $3,000, although they continue to get full care.

We really couldn't do this without the hospitals. There is a return on investment for them, which is that we keep people out of the emergency rooms. At the same time, these rates give our members access to surgeries and tests they couldn't afford before.

Business owners may enroll their uninsured employees at the individual rate of $35 per month, either paid in full by the employer, or split $20/$15 between the employer and the employee respectively. Membership fees are taken as pre-tax dollars.

We set this up as a membership program specifically so we could take it to business owners who have uninsured employees. It's a great way to take care of part-time employees, or small businesses.

Business owners who offer Access to Healthcare Network to their employees say the program works well.

"AHN is a huge benefit for our employees because it gives them a chance to seek the medical care and attention they need, even though they cannot afford to be part of a traditional health plan," enthuses Lindsay Meyers, director of human resources for Reno's Club Cal Neva. "This makes for a healthier employee, which benefits not only the employee, but the company as well."

Tom McKennie, who owns 15 McDonald's restaurants in Northern Nevada adds, "AHN provides us with an affordable health care solution that is simple and easy for us to administer. And with a very diverse workforce of more than 400 employees, that's saying a lot!"

No one, business or individual, is allowed to drop their insurance so they can participate in Access to Healthcare Network. This program is only for the currently uninsured.

AHN really is a miracle. We save lives, give businesses a way to help their uninsured employees, and we keep families from going medically bankrupt. What could be better than that?

Sherri Rice is executive director of the Access to Healthcare Network. Its Web site is www.Accesstohealthcare.org, and its help line is 877-385-2345.