BCBSLA launches new health plan for Capital Region

In the face of rising health-care costs and increasing chronic illness statewide, HMO Louisiana Inc.—a subsidiary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana—has launched a new model of care in the Baton Rouge market. The product is the first of its kind, HMO Louisiana says, and will be available to small businesses and individuals beginning Jan. 1. Called “Community Blue,” the plan offers comprehensive, coordinated, patient-centered care for patients in East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge and Ascension parishes. Members have a select network of doctors and providers from within the Blue Cross network to choose from, and in exchange pay lower premiums. “This new product is the outcome of our efforts to meet the demands of health-care reform and bring more affordable products to the marketplace for our members,” says Mike Reitz, president and CEO of HMO Louisiana and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, in a prepared statement. “As the nation prepares for landmark changes in the U.S. health-care system, we see the need to improve quality, health-care payment and delivery. The medical home delivery model effectively does all of this.” Read more about Community Blue at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield website here.