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Nonprofit formed: Community Health Alliance of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties Inc.
by Brian Mau

A new organization has been formed to explore options to control health insurance costs, keep medical decisions at the local level and coordinate health policy on the North Coast.

The Community Health Alliance of Humboldt-Del Norte will begin working with consultants this fall to develop a business plan for an administrative services organization. The proposed organization hopes to:

* Contract for the operation of third party administrator services (medical management, claims administration) on behalf of self-insured employers or purchasing pools of small employers in the region;

* Provide community-wide facilitation and coordination of health care grants and services; and

* Offer arbitration services to assist with contract relations between health care providers and local employers.

A volunteer Regional Health Council has been meeting for several years through a grant from the James Irvine Foundation and led by local chairwoman Julie Fulkerson and me. In April the council unanimously agreed to form a nonprofit public benefit corporation to carry on its work.

The purpose of this corporation as stated in the Articles of Incorporation is "to provide a vehicle through which organizations and persons residing in Del Norte and Humboldt counties may collaborate to improve the health status, quality and cost effectiveness of health care for the residents of the two counties. The corporation shall endeavor to arrange or provide health care services to all persons regardless of their ability to pay and to participate in Medi-Cal, Medicare and other state and federal programs designed to improve access to the uninsured and underinsured."

The establishment of this new corporation represents the latest step in a longstanding effort to create a community based health plan. As the health care market changed, the goals were revised to develop a realistic project that could be sustained over time. The group may eventually offer a health insurance plan for individuals and seniors but it will take several years of development providing other services before this can be achieved.

The members of the Health Council, represented by local hospitals, the two-county physician IPA (Indpendent Physician Association), Humboldt County Public Health Department, community health centers, small and large employers and many social service organizations, quickly ratified the work of their business strategy committee in approving their proposed bylaws.

The bylaws create two classes of members, voting and advisory members. The 36 voting members, representing specific geographic areas or constituents, will be synonymous with the Regional Health Council and will hold certain reserve powers. From the voting membership, a board of directors of nine members will be responsible for overseeing the management, direction and control of the corporation business. All members must reside in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.

Brian Mau is Coordinator for the Developing Rural Health Systems project in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. His e-mail address is mau@northcoast.com.

One-time article Copyright 2000 by Humboldt Senior Resource Center .