Many co-op insurance plans, created by the ACA, struggled to stay afloat. Montana's Mountain Health Co-op is still thriving, however, anchored by a desire for a competitive market and unique benefits, the Montana Free Press reported Jan. 16.
Mountain Health Co-op serves 55,000 members in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.
The ACA established funding for consumer operated and owned plans, or co-ops. In 2012, 23 of these plans launched. By 2020, just three were left, according to a Kaiser Health News report.
When the federal government pulled much of the funding allocated to co-op plans in 2015, many plans folded. To stay afloat, Mountain Health Co-op received a loan from a Boise, Idaho, health system interested in promoting a competitive insurance market, according to the Montana Free Press.
Richard Miltenberger, CEO of Mountain Health Co-Op, told the outlet the co-op has survived thanks to savvy management, a desire for a competitive insurance market in the area, and unique benefits.
Mountain Health Co-op provides free coverage of 250 preventive drugs to its members. Mr. Miltenberger said the co-op is the only company he knows providing this kind of benefit.
"The reason we can get that done is because when the board of directors sits around this table once a month, they're members," Mr. Miltenberger told the Montana Free Press.
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