Each of the 17 members of the Wisconsin Association of Health Plans Association has pledged to begin providing, by Sept. 1, 2008, estimates of out-of-pocket costs to enrollees who request them before receiving services. Also by that date, each plan will inform its enrollees that the out-of-pocket cost estimates are available.
Current state regulations require health plans to provide, upon request, descriptions of their coverage terms and estimates of allowable charges for a specific service from a specific provider. The association transparency initiative is intended to go beyond current requirements by giving health plan enrollees estimates of what they will be required to pay out of their own pockets. Read the press release.
