American Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the national trade association representing the health insurance industry, is making a move toward transparency.
AHIP has announced a collaborative agreement with HealthSparq, a Portland, Ore.-based vendor that provides pricing data transparency software. AHIP will market HealthSparq’s software to AHIP’s health plan members. The software is available through a cloud-based format. Health plans will be able to showcase that information through a portal on their website.
“Access to quality and cost information encourages empowered health care consumers,” AHIP’s executive vice president of Public Affairs, Beth Leonard, said in a statement. “Health plans that work with HealthSparq under our agreement receive an integrated technology solution, encouraging decisions that promote cost savings without sacrificing quality. We are pleased to offer these valuable resources to our members.”
The announcement is part of a larger movement by healthcare organizations to be more transparent about pricing information. Recent analysis from the Washington, D.C.-based Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center indicated that U.S. healthcare industry could save an estimated $100 billion over the next decade by providing patients, physicians, employers and policymakers more information on healthcare prices.
