Teacher Health Trust’s reinvented health plan offers 40,000+ members a suite of health benefits including Free Same-Day Prescription Delivery; IPA Virtual Visits Health Network; and Access to Care for Teachers With Spouse’s Job Loss Or Waived Prior Primary Coverage
On Tuesday, March 24, Teachers Health Trust (THT), the dedicated health plan for the educators and licensed professionals in Clark County, launches Open Access, a special enrollment from March 24 – April 30, 2020, for any member or teacher who has been impacted by COVID-19 and suffering from healthcare hardship. To provide access to care due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the plan is offering this special option to help existing members who may need health coverage for family members due to a spouse’s job loss, as well as for teachers who had previously waived Teachers Health Trust as their primary coverage during last Fall’s Open Enrollment period’.
“Teachers Health Trust’s goal is to always protect the health of our members. In response to COVID-19, our team is as proactive as possible working with our local leaders, our comprehensive provider networks, our health care partners to get our members evaluated, monitored and to offer a community of care. In early March, we announced the waiving of copays, coinsurance and deductibles for COVID-19 related treatment and tests.” says Michael Skolnik, CEO of Teachers Health Trust. “Beyond the pandemic, we recognize this as an evolving public health issue with a lot of unknowns and hope that this special enrollment period will help alleviate some of the anxiety and provide all teachers and their families access to care. We are in this together – and we want everyone to ‘be healthy, stay healthy and care for themselves.”
The up-leveled plan is swiftly adding new options due to the pandemic’s altering of daily lives as we all know it. This includes a suite of health benefits conceived and launched in the last 5 days to help members during this ever-changing time; IPA Health Network, on-demand virtual doctor office appointments – a brand new online program featuring an established community of Clark County primary care physicians who stepped up to the plate to provide a real-time virtual care to all members. This initiative will provide local health care expertise from the safety of the member’s home, with $0/copay, Alto Pharmacy – THT’s modern pharmacy partner, shifting their always-free same-day delivery to now do “safe place” delivery where the courier will leave a member’s Rx secured in front of their home. The health benefits also include their new in-house Mental-Behavioral Health network with a dedicated phone number to find an aligned therapist (many also offering virtual sessions), a navigated concierge-style member service center, a second opinion resource option, medical decision support, and much more – all with the clear intention of improving access, offering more convenience, improve quality of care and redefine cost-savings.
Teachers Health Trust allows its members to maximize their health care with very low out-of-pocket costs; effectively, the organization receives the lowest member and employer contribution of any public sector company and yet, delivers the highest level of benefits at lower out of pocket costs of any health plan in Clark County. The health plan is designed to provide each member with the ability to get the care they need, when they need it, without worrying about cost. These financial benefits include a $0/premium, waived copays, coinsurance, deductibles for any COVID-19 related testing and treatment as well as, low or zero-dollar co-pays for Tier 1 health care providers.
The health plan strongly encourages its members and its dependents to utilize the established suite of benefits by their expert health partners to improve quality of care and provide peace of mind as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. These FREE services include:
• Coverage of all COVID-19 related testing and treatment copays and coinsurance while waiving deductibles
• On-demand, Virtual Doctor Office Appointments – brand new virtual health visit services with established Clark County physicians our 1st group is IPA Health Network
• Alto Pharmacy Always-free same-day delivery to a “safe-place” in your home
• Dedicated mental-behavioral phone number (702-780-0738) to our health navigators for any member seeking mental-behavioral health care to alleviate concerns or fears associated with COVID-19
• THT-member exclusive extended evening & weekend hours to speak to a Tier 1 network provider with the Las Vegas Medical Group
• Teachers Health Trust real-time communication through our website (teachershealthtrust.org) at the hub
“We are pleased to debut telehealth/virtual care options to our THT members. With our 1st large group of physicians, IPA Health Network, we are now giving our members more immediate access to qualified physicians, allowing them to get the care they need, when they need it and to avoid the ER as they manage their own care. This IPA Network offers Virtual Health visits by a multitude of local health providers answering questions regarding member health concerns and providing medical care as deemed appropriate,” says Skolnik. It is an ideal benefit for our members who may not have a primary care provider, or if their provider is unavailable; as we can offer care thru this network of local physicians.”
Skolnik continues, “It is our responsibility, especially during this critical time, to take care of our members, and provide them the ultimate access and quality care at an affordable cost We will do whatever it takes. Even with our transformed plan and improved member experience, each day is a challenge because our contributions are 32% below on average of 70 comparable school districts and we are significantly lower than any other plan in Nevada. While we are underfunded, we don’t let anything stop us from becoming the best health plan for our members and an example for how health care should be delivered cost-effectively in the United States.”
About Teachers Health Trust:
Teachers Health Trust is the health plan for all teachers and licensed professionals of the Clark County School District in Southern Nevada. Established in 1983 and servicing 40,000+ lives, our transformed mission focuses on delivering the best healthcare at affordable costs to a deserving community.
In 2019, under new leadership, Teachers Health Trust had to develop an unprecedented model for the teachers by thinking out-of-the-box while also embracing a 30,000-foot lens for how this new model can effectively impact healthcare nationwide. In one year, THT reinvented and transformed the organization & its mission with a focus on delivering the best healthcare at affordable costs to a deserving community. It believes in providing access, guidance, support and care for each member as they actively pursue their best and most positive health outcomes.
