Blue Cross snared another group in South Texas recently. The Blues are aggressively competitive – their enrollment teams are working overtime these days. In just the past 30 days, the Blues have written Brownsville Independent School District, the largest employer south of San Antonio, Kleberg County and the City of Harlingen.
Steve Keevan, Blue Cross Blue Shield representative is leading the Blue Cross Blitzkrieg in South Texas with an unbroken chain of victories.
HARLINGEN — City commissioners this week voted unanimously for a new one-year health insurance plan that officials said will lower costs and save the city money.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas offered to provide health insurance for the city’s 570 employees at a cost of $2.87 million for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.
This is lower than the city’s current health insurance provider, Valley Baptist Health Plans, which insured 578 employees at a cost of $2.9 million, officials said.
UnitedHealthCare also submitted an insurance proposal, but an official said Friday he did not have the amount available.
Under the Blue Cross Blue Shield plan, city employees will pay a lower deductible and co-payments for office visits, City Manager Carlos Yerena said.
Under Blue Cross Blue Shield, office visit co-payments will be $15, with a $500 deductible. Valley Baptist’s offer was $25 co-payments and a $1,000 deductible, officials said. “We’re saving money for the city, as well as providing better benefits for city employees,” Yerena said.
Editor’s Note: Roger Garza of Valley Risk Consulting Inc. is the insurance consultant for the City of Harlingen. His website is www.vrctx.com
