WASHINGTON (AP) - An Ohio health-care insurer has been givenapproval to offer Medicare health maintenance organization coveragein nine West Virginia counties and seven Ohio counties.
The Health Care Financing Administration, which overseesMedicare,said Thursday that Health Plan of Upper Ohio Valley, based in St.Clairsville, Ohio, will begin offering service on Feb. 1.
The insurer will offer coverage in Belmont, Guernsey, Harrison,Jefferson, Monroe, Muskingum and Noble counties in eastern Ohio.It will also offer coverage in Brooke, Hancock, Harrison, Marion,Marshall, Monongalia, Ohio, Tyler and Wetzel counties in theNorthernPanhandle and north-central West Virginia.About 115,000 eligible beneficiaries live in the counties.In recent years, some beneficiaries have left Medicare, thefederal program that provides health- care coverage for Americans 65and older and the disabled, and joined HMOs to try to save money.Most HMOs offer more benefits, often including prescription drugand dental coverage, and lower out-of-pocket costs than the Medicaresystem, in which doctors' bills go directly to the government.Currently, about 6.5 million Medicare beneficiaries out of 38million aged and disabled Americans are covered by HMOs.The decision by the Health Plan of Upper Ohio comes at a time whenmany HMOs in parts of 30 states are withdrawing coverage because ofhigh costs and few customers.
