Northwell Direct, the direct-to-employer healthcare network and benefits arm of New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health, has launched a healthcare partnership with 32BJ Health Fund, a union health fund serving building service workers and their families, expanding access to care for 170,000 people in the New York City area.
Northwell initially announced the effort in December, reportedly the largest of its type in the U.S. Leaders from Northwell and 32BJ marked the partnership’s official launch May 11 and said the arrangement is expected to reduce healthcare costs for the fund by roughly 20%, or about $46 million, in the first year.
“What we are celebrating today is far bigger than a traditional healthcare agreement,” John D’Angelo, MD, president and CEO of Northwell Health, said in a news release shared with Becker’s. “This partnership represents a new model for how healthcare can be delivered more efficiently, more transparently and with patients at the center.”
Under the agreement, 32BJ Health Fund members will retain access to their existing Anthem network while gaining expanded access to Northwell providers at lower out-of-pocket costs. The organizations said inpatient copays for members using Northwell providers are expected to drop from $1,000 to $100, while outpatient copays are projected to fall from $250 to $75. Members will also have access to more than 12,000 Northwell providers, with many visits available at no copay.
Northwell Health is a 28-hospital system with more than 100,000 employees and one of the nation’s largest providers of healthcare services.
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