KAUA‘I AND HAWAI‘I BY THE NUMBERS By The Garden Island After many years without a viable group-health-insurance plan for its members, leaders of the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce are now offering Chamber members a new, affordable comprehensive medical choice beginning
KAUA‘I AND HAWAI‘I BY THE NUMBERS
By The Garden Island
After many years without a viable group-health-insurance plan for its members, leaders of the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce are now offering Chamber members a new, affordable comprehensive medical choice beginning Tuesday, March 1.
Chamber leaders, along with partners at Summerlin Life & Health Insurance Company, announced the “Easy $15 Hawai‘i Health Plan, available to all current Chamber member companies.
Members will receive preferred group rates for employers with two or more employees desiring single, two-party and family coverage. This means buying through the association plan will cost members less than going direct to an insurer, said Randy Gingras, Chamber president.
Chamber members enjoyed the insurance option for a few years, and the plan Summerlin leaders are offering is similar to ones available to Chamber members in Kona on the Big Island, and on Maui, he said.
Members will be able to chose from a number of physicians and co-pay options. The Easy $15 Plan is easy to understand for employers, employees and doctors, he said.
The Summerlin Life & Health fully insured plans were specifically designed for Hawai‘i’s unique health concerns, such as the aging population and multi-generational families living under one roof, Gingras explained.
The Easy $15 Plan offered through the Chamber allows freedom of choice in providers, and a wide array of new benefits not currently offered in the Hawai‘i marketplace, he explained. Summerlin Life & Health is locally based, with customer service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce was formed 45 years before statehood, and has been serving island business owners since 1913. Chamber leaders are strong advocates for the business community, and work diligently with county and state government to create a user-friendly business climate for Kaua‘i, he said. The current membership is 424 businesses.
Andy Jones, president of Intersource Insurance Inc., will be working with interested members for plan information and quotations. Please e-mail him for information on this new plan, andyjones694@aol.com. He will forward everything needed to analyze the coverage and get company representatives preliminary rate quotes.
Information on the Summer-lin Easy $15 plan, along with census and request for information forms, are also available at the Chamber office in the Lihue Plantation Building behind First Hawaiian Bank and the post office on Rice Street in Lihu‘e. Please call 245-7363 for more information.
“Our goal is to give you and your employees the finest group rate coverage available in Hawai‘i while offering you rates that decrease your company’s ever-increasing insurance expense,” Jones said.
Summerlin is a member of the IMX Companies of Tempe, Ariz., a healthinsurance provider for over 20 years. Health Management Associates (HMA), a sister company, has been doing business in Hawai‘i since 2001.
