Good news for Caterpillar employees
From a press release:
Peoria, Illinois (August 3, 2009)–For the first time since 1992, Caterpillar employees and retirees who participate in the Caterpillar Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan will be able to choose Methodist Medical Center for their healthcare needs when Methodist joins the Caterpillar PPO network next July. A new three-year Caterpillar preferred provider contract takes effect July 1, 2010. The addition of Methodist to the Caterpillar PPO network gives Caterpillar PPO participants the opportunity to choose Methodist as a healthcare provider. It also complements the existing Health Alliance/Methodist HMO currently available to Caterpillar employees.
The agreement is consistent with the principles of healthcare reform, with performance and quality-based measures, an emphasis on transparency in healthcare pricing and promotion of employee health and wellness.
Methodist President and CEO Michael Bryant said, “Methodist is thrilled to have the opportunity to serve our friends and neighbors at Caterpillar. We have no doubt that when Caterpillar families come to Methodist they’ll recognize our culture of service and compassion combined with the most advanced medical and information technology available.”
Bryant concluded, “Methodist mirrors Caterpillar’s view of healthcare in the future and we look forward to the opportunity together to improve the healthcare of the community. As we improve the health of Caterpillar employees and their families, we are ultimately improving the health of the entire community.”
About Methodist Medical Center.
Look, I’m not a Methodist booster. I distrust ANY large institution when a yen to get bigger. But, I have been on the receiving end of employee health insurance that paid for medical care from doctors associated with one hospital and not the other. I have always been happier when the health plan favored Methodist docs.
So, this is good news for Caterpillar workers.
And when universal health care becomes a reality, we won’t be held hostage like this anymore.
Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates 
That is good news … now if we could just get that insurance to actually PAY doctors. They have to approve them but they don’t pay anything for office visits. Nothing. Nada. Not one cent.
Nope, we won’t be held hostage like that. Instead we will held hostage like MediCare and Medicaid, likely worse.
“And when universal health care becomes a reality, we won’t be held hostage like this anymore.”
Bwahahahahaha! Oh, wait, were you being serious?
Universal health care will be the moment when we as a country will realize that the good days are long gone. Everyone who has the universal care will wear a Big H on their forehead signifying Hostage not Hospital.
“I distrust ANY large institution when a yen to get bigger” And yet… you support government run health care. Hmm… So I guess its okay for the government to get bigger but not private business? I guess that’s how libertarians do it nowadays.
There is NOTHING libertarian about the current system. These aren’t mom and pop insurance companies and hospitals we are dealing with.
What does being a mom and pop operation have anything to do with it?
Oy.
Libertarianism is about MORE than “Government evil, private businesses good.” Sometimes the anti-competitive, anti-free market, anti-individual rights villains are BUSINESSES, like insurance companies and big institutions like OSF and Methodist. Sometimes the government IS the solution. Real libertarians (the small-L non wing-nut variety) know this.
The mess we are in with health care is as much to do with failure of the free market as much as anything else.
The plan being put forth now is far from perfect, but it is a compromise, and it’s a lot better than the total takeover the liberals want and a lot better than the dystopian system we’ll get by default if it continues on it’s current course.
Precinct Committeeman wrote: “Everyone who has the universal care …” What an odd phrase this is.
It’s obvious that some of the opposition just lobs “label grenades” at any attempt to fix the health-care problem. This country’s expensive, inequitable, non-cost-effective non-system is a growing problem that HAS to be fixed. You can’t just be against any change; you have to propose an alternative.
“It’s obvious that some of the opposition just lobs “label grenades”” You couldn’t be more right, especially when they refer to the “country’s expensive, inequitable, non-cost-effective non-system”.
I doubt that you and I would agree on what the problem is jser. I don’t think we have a non-system. And quite frankly government interference has only made the system worse.
Billy, what failure of the free market are you talking about?? There are a wide array of insurance companies to choose from, there is certainly no lack of competition.
The government should just get out of the insurance business. It would be cheaper for them to just give people the money and let them choose their own private insurance with it.
CJ, I would agree with that reform.
I’m sure the insurance companies would be waiting in line to sell policies to your 75-year-old grandmother with diabetes who needs a hip replacement.
I’m not saying the industry should be totally deregulated. Obviously there need to be protections. But I don’t believe that requires the government to compete directly with private insurers. Does the government need to run its own airline and compete with private airlines to ensure air safety?
We may have to agree to disagree, C.J. Kudos on your tax overcharge story. Good work.
Hopefully, the income will allow a bigger role in care for the poor.
Thanks, AnotherExJSer.
AnotherExJSer: Your mother will be worse off after “reform.” Under the current proposal, at her age some bureaucrat will determine that she can have a dose of insulin, but there would not be enough value (read: cost vs. life expectancy) in allowing her the hip.
Which is why all the euthanasia centers have sprung up since we created Medicare and Medicaid.
/Sarcasm.
Seriously, people. Do you think that the voters would tolerate that for ONE election cycle?
We do have insurance companies that do this (deny medication) every day.
Deny to pay Billy, there is a difference between denying to pay and the government being the end all be all of medical decisions denying it.
11bravo: Read a newspaper (or an online version, thereof). Private health insurance is NOT going anywhere. It just isn’t. Sorry.
Billy, what is wrong with your current health insurance coverage?
Billy, you made quite a leap from my suggestion that the poor soul could be denied a new hip to killing her.