ConnectiCare Corporate Summary

Our Commitment

ConnectiCare is committed to providing “Best in Class” service and improving the health of our members.

In 2007, ConnectiCare was ranked #5 on the U.S. News and World Report/NCQA list of America’s Best Health Plans®.

ConnectiCare was ranked #5 of 250 commercial health plans evaluated for this award. The results were based on a combination of member satisfaction, clinical performance, and the National Committee for Quality Assurance Accreditation.

We aim to remain one of the best plans in America and continue to provide our customers with an exceptional customer experience.

Corporate History

  • ConnectiCare was incorporated in 1981 as a non-profit, Connecticut-licensed health maintenance organization and has remained Farmington-based throughout its 27-year history.

  • The company reorganized in July 1999 to become a for-profit stock corporation. It recapitalized in 2001 and was investor-owned from 2001 - 2005. ConnectiCare’s conversion process resulted in the creation and funding of the largest independent health foundation in the Northeast, The Connecticut Health Foundation.

  • ConnectiCare acquired the dormant AmeriHealth Plan in 2003 to establish a network of providers in Westchester, Rockland, Orange, and Putnam Counties of NY. In January 2005, ConnectiCare received regulatory approval to sell commercial health plan products in those counties.

  • On March 10, 2005, ConnectiCare was acquired by the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (HIP). As part of the HIP family, ConnectiCare continues to conduct business autonomously under its well-respected name brand and its locally-based management team in Farmington. HIP Health Plan of New York is the largest HMO in New York City based on commercial membership. HIP is a large provider of health insurance coverage for New York State, federal employees, and labor unions. For additional information about HIP, please visit www.hipusa.com.

  • Mickey Herbert took the helm at ConnectiCare in September 2005. As President and CEO, he will lead the growth of ConnectiCare drawing from his vast experience in building the successful Physician Health Services (PHS). He was the founder and CEO (for twenty-two years) of Physician Health Services, a publicly-traded health plan serving the tri-state region of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. In 1998, PHS was sold to HealthNet.

  • In 2006, HIP affiliated with New York based Group Health Inc. (GHI) under a common parent, EmblemHealth. Together, HIP and GHI serve more than four million members and provide access to over 80,000 practitioners in an added 150,000 locations. In November 2006, Group Health Incorporated (GHI) and Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (HIP) were affiliated when EmblemHealth Inc. became the parent organization of both entities. Since then, GHI and HIP have submitted a plan to combine the two not-for-profit health benefits providers into a single for-profit publicly traded company.

Business Operations

  • ConnectiCare is the third largest health maintenance organization in Connecticut and employs approximately 500 individuals.

  • ConnectiCare achieved over $800 million in revenue in 2007 and has been ranked on Connecticut Magazine's Top 100 list of large companies with headquarters in the state.

  • The company’s high-performing culture coupled with its talented employees has made ConnectiCare an employer of choice in the Greater Hartford region. ConnectiCare’s low voluntary employee turnover rate of 5.6% is exceptional for a company with an in-house call center.

  • ConnectiCare’s Farmington campus contains a high-technology call center and in-house disease management programs. A regional office is located in Norwalk, CT.

  • ConnectiCare is an active member of the Connecticut Association of Health Plans, America’s Health Insurance Plans, the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, and we have a collaborative relationship with the MetroHartford Alliance. We are engaged and lobby legislative issues that have an impact on our business and our customers. As past Co-Chair of the Connecticut Health Insurance Policy Council and a current member of the Connecticut HealthFirst Authority, Mickey Herbert, our President and CEO, has put ConnectiCare at the forefront of the healthcare reform debate in our state.

  • ConnectiCare demonstrates its ongoing commitment to the community and non-profit organizations through its Community Benefit Program, United Way Campaign, and Employee Matching Gift Program. In 2007, our employee based United Way Campaign raised $207,490. This year ConnectiCare contributed over $874,000 across the state to support community causes and organizations that promote health. Every year, ConnectiCare participates in a walk in support of better health, this year it was for the American Heart Association.

Membership/Network

  • ConnectiCare, Inc. serves approximately 240,000 members along with its affiliates:
    • ConnectiCare of Massachusetts, Inc.
    • ConnectiCare Insurance Company, Inc.

  • We serve in the following areas:
    • Connecticut
    • Massachusetts in Berkshire, Hampshire, Hampden, and Franklin Counties

  • ConnectiCare’s provider network includes:
    • 21,309 health care providers
    • 128 hospitals
    • All Connecticut hospitals

Products

  • ConnectiCare offers health insurance products on a fully-insured and self-funded basis including:

  • Consumers looking for a Medicare Advantage product will find many options to match their health insurance needs from ConnectiCare. Individuals, who enroll in our Medicare Advantage plans, will receive all the benefits of original Medicare plus benefits such as disease management programs, health and wellness support, limited dental benefits and more. The program called “ConnectiCare VIP Medicare” will have a range of product and pricing options including HMO, Private Fee-For-Service, and a Diabetes Special Needs Plan.

  • ConnectiCare was the first health plan in the nation to offer a high-deductible HMO Plan compatible with Health Savings Accounts (HSA).

  • A primary business focus is meeting the insurance needs of small group employers. To accomplish this, ConnectiCare works closely with the Chambers of Commerce and the Chamber Insurance Trust to develop products that offer a variety of affordable plan options.

  • ConnectiCare Solo was launched in 2005 to respond to the growing need for individual health coverage. ConnectiCare Solo provides individual plans with and without Health Savings Accounts.

  • In October 2007, ConnectiCare launched a new employee wellness program called “ConnectiCare Wellness & Rewards”. The program focuses on insurance premium rebates to encourage ConnectiCare employees to attain personal health goals. The ConnectiCare Rewards program will begin first with ConnectiCare employees and eventually be offered to ConnectiCare’s health plan members.

Recognition for Outstanding Customer Service

We have the highest member-satisfaction scores for customer service and claims processing among our competition in Connecticut.

  • Outstanding Service Benchmarks:
    • 99.8% financial accuracy for all claims paid
    • 97% of all claims paid within 30 days
    • 90% of all claims paid within 15 days
    • 0.9% call-abandonment rate
    • 99.6% enrollment accuracy
    • 3.5-day average for turnaround of ID cards

  • ConnectiCare was accredited by the NCQA in 1996 and has maintained an "Excellent" rating for its commercial employer group plans (1999-present). ConnectiCare of Massachusetts also holds an “Excellent” rating.

  • ConnectiCare was ranked number 1 in Connecticut among HMO plans for the lowest member complaint ratio in 2006. (Based on 2005 data by the CT Department of Insurance)

  • ConnectiCare earned the highest member satisfaction score for customer service among our competitors in Connecticut – and well above the national average, according to the 2007 Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (CAHPS).

  • ConnectiCare earned the highest member satisfaction score for claims processing accuracy and the 2nd highest score for claims processing timeliness – and well above the national averages, according to the 2007 Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (CAHPS).

  • 91% of our members said they would recommend ConnectiCare to their family and friends if they needed health insurance. (2007 CAHPS Survey)

Recognition for Excellence in Disease Management & Wellness Programs

  • ConnectiCare was the 4th HMO in the nation to receive NCQA accreditation for its Disease Management programs.

  • ConnectiCare’s BREATHE Program received the “2002 National Exemplary Practice Award” by the American Association of Health Plans and the Washington Business Group on Health.

  • Health Industries Research Companies (HIRC) named ConnectiCare to its top selection of 2005 Leading Disease Management Organizations. Only 23 health plans, 5% of health plans nationally, have received this designation. The HIRC selection is based on extensive market projections and analysis, surveys, and in-depth interviews with health care industry executives. Only two other health plans in the New England region received the designation, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont.

  • ConnectiCare is the first health plan with in-house programs to earn the Health Industries Research Companies (HIRC) distinction and the Disease Management Purchasing Consortium (DMPC) Savings Certification; and one of few health plans in the country to have both a DMPC and NCQA excellent accreditation.

Recognition for Leadership in the Industry

  • In 2007, ConnectiCare received the “Excellence in Practice” Award from the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) for its innovative program “The Royal Treatment.” Only twelve organizations internationally have been selected for “Excellence in Practice” top honors.

    The program was developed to raise the performance bar on ConnectiCare’s already excellent service and customer satisfaction. In 2006, ConnectiCare had received an “Excellence in Practice” Citation from ASTD. The program was developed in 2005 to raise the bar on ConnectiCare's already excellent service and high levels of customer satisfaction. The ASTD award recognizes organizations that demonstrate enterprise-wide success as a result of employee learning and development. Others companies competing in the international contest for the top honor included companies such as FEDEX, Daimler Chrysler Motors Company, Ford Motor Company, and Hewlett-Packard Company.

  • The leadership team at ConnectiCare was named the 2006 Top Leadership Team in the Health Plans (state and regional category) by HealthLeaders Media, the publisher of HealthLeaders Magazine.

  • In 2006, ConnectiCare was the proud co-sponsor of a healthcare policy event on Health Care Savings Accounts led by President Bush in Bridgeport, Connecticut. ConnectiCare was featured at the event which was attended by Mickey Herbert and other key leaders from ConnectiCare.

  • Mickey Herbert has put ConnectiCare at the forefront of the debate on healthcare reform in Connecticut. He was named co-chair of the Connecticut Health Insurance Policy Council formed in July 2006 to study the state’s healthcare system and to create recommendations on how to improve that system. In August 2007, Herbert was appointed to the Connecticut General Assembly’s HealthFirst Authority to propose health system improvements to the legislature for the 2009 legislative session.

updated 4/07/2008