Provider-Sponsored MA Plans Evolve as 2024 Collabs Take More ‘Thoughtful’ Tack

Leading up to the Oct. 15 start of the Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP), news reports across the U.S. have depicted down-to-the-wire disputes between Medicare Advantage insurers and their network providers over sticking points like reimbursement and prior authorization policies. But another development in payer-provider relations is the evolving trend of regional health systems cosponsoring MA plans, which one industry expert says can take various forms and requires careful consideration.

Morgantown, West Virginia’s Peak Health, for one, will launch a new MA plan that it says was designed in partnership with two West Virginia health systems, WVU Medicine and Marshall Health. According to the new insurer’s website, the company is also owned by two other not-for-profit health care providers, Mountain Health Network and Valley Health. Peak is the only West Virginia-based insurance company to offer MA plans sponsored by West Virginia providers, the company said.