Healthbase Collaborates with WellPoint to Bring Affordable Medical Tourism
Solutions
Healthbase collaborates with WellPoint to bring affordable healthcare benefits
to Americans through an international medical tourism pilot program. Members
will now have more choices regarding where to receive care and a greater
involvement in the care they receive
BOSTON, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthbase Online Inc., a Boston-based
award-winning medical tourism facilitator, has collaborated on a pilot basis
with WellPoint, Inc., an Indianapolis-based health benefits company to provide
global health care coverage to members of WellPoint's affiliated health plan
in Wisconsin. Healthbase will handle all the medical travel logistics and
arrangements for WellPoint members.
According to Saroja Mohanasundaram, CEO of Healthbase
(http://www.healthbase.com), "Healthbase is committed to providing high
quality medical travel services at affordable cost. Healthbase will assist
WellPoint members with coordination of the trip, medical appointment
scheduling, digital medical records transfer, and concierge travel service."
Under this program, effective from January 2009, members who travel for
certain non-emergency elective procedures like joint replacement and spinal
fusion, will have access to Joint Commission International accredited
healthcare providers in India. This will result to lower out-of-pocket costs
for members translating into thousands of dollars in total savings. A hip
replacement surgery, for example, costing over $60,000 in the US, costs less
than $8,000 at an accredited hospital in India.
"We are pleased to work collectively with Healthbase to deliver an
international medical tourism pilot product to our clients who are interested
in exploring a medical tourism solution," said Dr. Razia Hashmi, vice
president and medical director for WellPoint's national accounts division.
"Medical tourism is a promising option for improving access to affordable,
quality health care. Working with Healthbase, our case managers will
coordinate all steps of the medical tourism process for members interested in
receiving care overseas."
About Healthbase:
Healthbase is a one-stop source for global medical and dental choices,
connecting patients to internationally accredited providers in 14 countries
including India, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey, Panama, Costa Rica
and Mexico. Healthbase caters to individual consumers, self-funded businesses,
insurers, benefit consultants, third party administrators and those using
Consumer Directed Healthcare Plans (CDHPs) or voluntary benefit plans. More
information at http://www.healthbase.com.
About WellPoint, Inc.:
WellPoint, Inc. is the largest health benefits company in terms of medical
membership in the United States. WellPoint is an independent licensee of the
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and serves its members as the Blue
Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for
Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding
30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as the
Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in 10 New York City metropolitan and
surrounding counties and as the Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee
in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the northern
Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), Wisconsin; and through UniCare.
Additional information about WellPoint is available at
http://www.wellpoint.com.
SOURCE Healthbase Online Inc.
Mumtaz Pachisa of Healthbase Online Inc., +1-888-691-4584,
media.hb@healthbase.com
