We are excited to announce our new web site and portal is online today. We still have a bit of work to bring some of the content up after the port,but it looks good and will provide much better access for our members going forward as we add content and features.
Our new URL is PatientPhysicianCoop.com–Tony
The Kaiser Family Foundation has provided an excellent summary of the new Patient Protection and Affordability Act recently passed by the Obama Administration: http://www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/8061.pdf
Local non-profit offers array of affordable health care services
Residents of greater Houston have a unique health care alternative to expensive insurance plans or remaining uninsured, and now, this plan offers even more benefits to its members.
At a time when health care is top of mind for members of Congress as well as individual citizens, a non-profit organization in Houston, Texas, has been successfully providing affordable primary care to persons who need it. Patient Physician Cooperatives (PPC) was established in 2005 as an organization of patients, physicians and member representatives, with two clinics. Since then, the organization has grown to 36 clinics which are geographically dispersed throughout the city.
PPC founder Don McCormick recently announced, “As a consequence of its steady growth and demonstrated success, PPC now also offers affordable true group health coverage to all its members as an added optional benefit.” Because PPC members are in a single group they are eligible for this policy with no pre-existing conditions or exclusions. The group policy has been issued to the organization by New Era Life Insurance Company.
Additional benefits available for members include diagnostic services (radiology, CT, MRI, PET scan, ultra sound and X-ray) and a prescription drug card through which brand name and generic drugs are priced at 15% to 50% below wholesale.
Basic monthly costs for primary, or basic care are $25 for adults, $10 per child and $35 for seniors. McCormick explained additional new benefits. “PPC’s guaranteed wholesale pricing can also be extended to vision and dental services for an additional $5 per household.”
Dr. Jerry Tsao, one of the cooperative’s primary care doctors operating a clinic in the Westchase area of Houston, said, “At first, I was skeptical, wondering how such a low membership fee could cover physician fees, staff and overhead. It turns out that we receive the same or more than most doctors are accepting from insurance companies, just without the administrative expense.”
Among PPC’s members is Joy Williamson, who joined last year with her husband and is so pleased with the services offered by PPC that she recently added her son, granddaughter and great nephew to her plan. Williamson said, “My husband and I don’t have any major illnesses, but we do have chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and thyroid problems that require constant monitoring and medication. I personally need regular lab tests for my thyroid condition and due to such high costs, I would be forced to skip them if it were not for our plan with PPC. The care we receive keeps our manageable illnesses under control so that we aren’t faced with huge costs for hospital stays or surgeries. Our membership with PPC has provided us with ongoing preventative health care that we would never be able to otherwise afford.”
McCormick, said, “Unfortunately, our current health care system does not adequately meet the needs of the uninsured and underinsured. It does not really meet the needs of anyone, since it even leaves those who can afford it at great risk, in that a serious disease could result in financial ruin. In establishing PPC, our goal is to make basic health care available to anyone who needs it. So far, we have been successful.”
PPC is now serving as a model for other medical cooperatives in which uninsured and poor populations may obtain care. In an effort to meet the primary and urgent medical care needs for the growing number of uninsured residents across the Catawba Valley in North Carolina, Apollo HealthCare Cooperative, a nonprofit organization, has recently announced a similar affordable membership program, patterned after the Houston model.
Dr. Samuel Bowen, one of the founders of Apollo HealthCare Cooperative, whose background includes six years as an emergency department physician, said, “The severe downturn in the area economy in recent years has led to very high unemployment levels and a growing number of people who simply cannot afford health insurance. Dr. Bowen added, “As a result, individuals are postponing treatment of their ongoing health care needs, including diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol – and turning manageable issues into problems.”
PPC is open to anyone wishing to take advantage of the affordable benefits, and the public is invited to call 1-866-549-4199 or email PPC at membership@tbt.org for more information.
PPC’s new website is now active! Please be patient while we populate the site with all the information you’ll need to learn about, and participate in our program. Thank you!