HealthPartners Medicare Premiums Increase Three Percent

BLOOMINGTON, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HealthPartners announced today that premiums will increase three percent for HealthPartners Freedom plans which are the most popular.

“We are pleased to be able to keep cost increases to a minimum without any cuts in benefits,” said Donna Zimmerman, HealthPartners vice president, government and community relations.

Doughnut hole coverage

Benefit options in HealthPartners Medicare Part D plans include coverage of generic and brand drugs in the doughnut hole (the coverage gap in which enrollees must pay 100 percent after an annual $2,700 spending limit). HealthPartners has 37,000 Medicare members and nearly 26,000 have a Part D drug benefit.

New dental benefits

A new Medicare benefit for 2009 includes a free preventive dental exam, one set of x-rays and one cleaning per year. Other benefits include an open access network, health club discounts and coverage for up to nine months of out-of-network travel. In addition, HealthPartners has new individual dental plans that include a statewide open access network and crowns and bridges.

HealthPartners Freedom Plans I,II,III		2009		2008
Medical Plan Premiums		$57, $87, $126		$55, $84, $122
Freedom Part D Prescription Drug Plans
Standard Part D (no doughnut hole coverage)		$8.30-$14.50		$5.60 or $8.20
Standard Plus Part D (includes doughnut hole coverage for generic drugs)		$64.50		$52.90
Enhanced Part D (includes doughnut hole coverage for generic, brand, specialty drugs)		$134.10-$162.30		$125.20
Classic Plan for Minnesota Senior Health Options (low income beneficiaries)
Premiums				$0
Part D				$0

For more information, go to http://www.healthpartners.com/portal/184.html or call 952-883-5601 or 1-800 247-7015 or TTY: 952-883-6060.

About HealthPartners

Founded in 1957, the HealthPartners (www.healthpartners.com) family of healthcare companies serves more than one million medical and dental health plan members nationwide. For the third year in a row, HealthPartners is rated one of the best commercial health plans in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, NCQA's "America's Best Health Plans 2007" and is ranked "Highest in Member Satisfaction among Commercial Health Plans in the Minnesota-Wisconsin Region" by J.D. Power and Associates.