Employer Health Coalitions

Business Coalitions are being looked to by the nation’s employers as a way to help control the growing costs for health care and prescription drugs by continuing to develop programs and initiatives for their employees. Employer health care and prescription drug costs for active employees are projected to rise more than 8% in 2011.  Nearly 60% of U.S. workers are expected to have employer-provided coverage in 2011. One business coalition leading the way in the effort to control costs is the Florida Health Care Coalition.

The Florida Health Care Coalition aims to improve the quality of health care in Florida and the nation by ensuring that health care purchasers and health care providers take part in ongoing improvement efforts promoting quality and value. Their 25-year effort has earned the support and buy-in of Central and Southern Florida’s business and government leaders, with the Cities of Miami and Orlando, as well as Walt Disney World Company, Universal Orlando, Siemens, Macy’s and others serving on the Board of Directors. Together, the coalition’s members provide health benefits to more than 1,000,000 individuals.

Recently, the Florida Health Care Coalition elected WisconsinRx as its recipient for the 2010 Pharmacy Purchasing Award. WisconsinRx, which operates nationally through its National CooperativeRx division, was recognized by the Florida group for its work to manage complexities of pharmacy benefits on behalf of plan sponsors. WisconsinRx was created in 2003 by employers looking for a trusted solution for pharmacy benefit management; one that would allow them to pool their purchasing power to achieve higher value and gain access to transparent information about their pharmacy spend. Today, WisconsinRx serves 450 plan sponsors from around the nation.