Regence Introduces Two New Plans Designed Especially for Small to Mid-Size...( Innova and Engage bridge the gap bet...),Health

Innova and Engage bridge the gap between traditional and consumer-directed plans with simplified options that allow employees to self-manage their

benefits

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Amid rising health care costs, many smaller employers have been torn between trimming their health benefits or passing the costs to employees in the form of increased deductibles and co- insurance. This is why Regence has introduced Innova and Engage, which represent a completely new type of health care benefit known as self-managed plans.

Innova and Engage give employers and their employees flexibility, choice and control over their benefits, with features that include direct access to their choice of providers, customized wellness programs and online cost accumulator tools that allow them to keep track of their health care spending. On average, these plans offer up to a four percent better value for similar benefits in traditional plans, depending on the size of the company and the benefit options they select. Innova and Engage are designed for small to mid- size companies with two to 99 employees.

"Innova and Engage mark a significant milestone for smaller group employers, who often must pass health care costs to their employees in the form of increased deductibles and co-insurance. The unique benefit designs of these plans offer affordable benefits that don't sacrifice the freedom and choice employees want," said Cary Badger, vice president of Market Development for Regence. "For the first time, employees will be able to self-manage their benefits in a way that will directly impact their health care costs while still enjoying the benefit of a comprehensive benefit plan."

A unique advantage of Innova is that it provides upfront preventive benefits before an employee has to meet his or her deductible. Engage simplifies coverage with a single coinsurance level that applies to all categories of providers, in
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