ALLIANCE TO PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE HEALTH PROGRAM

Following a national trend, Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield, the largest provider of health care benefits in Missouri, has begun providing an alternative health program to members.

On Saturday, the medical health insurance provider started a program in which its members -- 2.4 million in Missouri, including 80,000 in Southeast Missouri -- can receive discounts on the fees charged by participating providers of chiropractic, acupuncture and massage therapy services, as well as discounts on health club memberships and vitamins, mineral and herbal supplements.

"Offering programs for alternative health care is becoming more common among health insurance providers," said Virginia Kelly, spokesperson for Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield in St. Louis. "It was something our members said they wanted."

Kelly noted that this is a discount not a benefits program. With a benefits program, such as would be used with physicians, the insurance company pays the provider a certain amount and the member pays the rest. With a discount program, the member pays for the service but at a discounted rate.

There is no additional cost to members for this program, Kelly said. It will be available to all Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield members in programs including BlueCHOICE HMO and POS, AllianceChoice, Alliance and BlueHorizons Medicare programs.

The American Specialty Health Networks will administer the new alternative health care program for Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield. ASHN is now putting together a network of providers in Missouri, Kelly said.

There are already a number of providers in the St. Louis areas who are members of the network and thus beginning to offer discounts to Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield members, Kelly said. But the network of alternative health care providers throughout the rest of Missouri is still being finalized.

Tally-Heisserer Chiropractic Clinic is the only provider listed by ASHN in Cape Girardeau, but chiropractor Dr. Anne Heisserer said that clinic has not yet received the paperwork associated with the program.

Since the details on participation are still being worked out, Heisserer couldn't say what sort of discount would be offered. But she is glad medical health insurance providers are beginning to offer to their members programs for chiropractic care and other alternative and complementary health care services.

A growing number of health care companies are offering alternative medical options to their members, according to the National Institute of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

"This type of program has been popular in California for many years," Kelly said. "However, it is new to the Midwest and has recently gained more interest. Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield may be the only Missouri-based health care benefits company that has offered it. However, some of the national companies have had a similar program."

Kristin Harms, corporate relations manager for ASHN, said most alternative medicine programs are discount programs like the one offered by Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield. "But some companies that started with a discount option found it so well-received that they began offering it as a benefits option," Harms said.

The acceptance of alternative medicine care is growing among Missourians, Kelly said. According to ASHN, a recent alternative medicine survey showed that 40.5 percent of Missourians have used alternative medicine and 18 have considered using it.

"That's nearly 60 percent," Kelly said.

To use the alternative health program, members select a participating complementary or alternative health care provider from the ASHN directory, which Kelly said are being compiled and sent out to members and is available through Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield's Web site at www.abcbs.com/dicount_programs.

Kelly said Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield chose the American Specialty Health Networks because of its proven track record of setting up networks, an extensive national network of providers and because ASHN credentials all providers in their network.

"This means they make sure that an acupuncturist has all the appropriate licenses, etc. to practice in Missouri," Kelly said.

Members can directly access services from participating providers, with no referrals required. Members pay fees directly to the provider. There is no additional paperwork or claim forms to complete other than the provider's usual patient history/documentation forms. There are no annual limits to this program.