Chicago-based Health Care Service Corp. launched a member rewards program to help customers shop around for medical services and encourage them to make lower-cost decisions when choosing healthcare providers.
The program provides a cash reward when a quality but lower-cost provider is chosen to administer medical services or procedures like MRIs, mammograms or hip replacements. When the procedure concludes, the member will receive between $75 and $300 within a few weeks, depending on the care performed and the difference in cost from other options.
The member rewards program is available to self-funded employers with Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in five states: Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Montana.
"Consumers may not be used to the idea of shopping for healthcare or be aware of the potential benefits of just a few minutes of research. But given the benefits and rewards consumers can achieve, we should move to a mentality where we shop for healthcare just like we do for other products," Tom Meier, president of market solutions at HCSC, said in a prepared statement. "By pairing the right transparency tools to compare costs with a meaningful financial incentive for our members, we can empower them to be smart consumers of care and potentially help lower costs for themselves and their employers."