Our History: The Fight for Better Healthcare
In 1990, healthcare premiums were increasing by an average of 14 percent nationwide annually. Self-funded employers were hit even harder. So, a small group of employers gathered around a table to find a better way to purchase healthcare for their employees.
Seven Madison-area employers formed the Employer Health Care Alliance Cooperative — now known as The Alliance — to negotiate directly with healthcare providers. These employers chose a cooperative structure to allow participating employers to share the responsibility and benefits of membership.
“We were looking to level the playing field,” recalls Jac Garner, president and CEO of Webcrafters Inc., Madison. “That was the beginning of this idea that we could group together and represent a substantial portion of the employer market to gain some of the benefits of negotiated group rates from providers.”
Growth and Expansion
While The Alliance began in the Madison area, it quickly gained employer-members in Southern Wisconsin, and across the state. The cooperative’s provider network grew organically where employer-members’ employees live and seek care. Today, The Alliance network covers most of the state of Wisconsin, with additional coverage in Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota.
By 2010, 20 years after its creation, the cooperative had over 160 employer-members; By its 25th anniversary, The Alliance covered over 100,000 lives; and the cooperative continues to grow year-over-year. As of 2024, The Alliance represents over 425 employers and covers 118,000. The Alliance provider networks include over 39,000 medical practitioners, 9,700 clinics, and 150 hospitals.
The Alliance is the only business coalition in the country that provides the breadth of services the cooperative provides. The Alliance offers education, events, and networking for employers at no additional cost to employer-members and partners. The cooperative fights for employers and their employees and families in health policy matters.
The Fight Continues
Since its creation, The Alliance has been committed to the following three objectives:
- Making purchasing decisions based on quality and cost
- Promoting consumerism in healthcare choices
- Creating and sustaining value-added partnership between employers and providers
The business leaders who banded together to form The Alliance in 1990 were determined to change the way they purchased healthcare for employees. Thanks to their efforts, employers with self-funded benefit plans can measure the value of healthcare, access a cost-effective and extensive network of providers, track outcomes and better maintain a healthy workforce.
Timeline
Full History: Read an in-depth history of the first 35 years of The Alliance. Learn More1990-1991
Established by seven employers as the Employer Health Care Alliance Cooperative (The Alliance)
1999-2000
Helped release the first QualityCounts® Medical Group Report on 24 hospitals and five areas of care to promote price transparency
2001-2002
Co-sponsored meeting which would lead to development of the Wisconsin Purchasers for Quality (WHPQ)
2002-2003
Helped found WisconsinRx not-for-profit prescription drug purchasing coalition
2005-2006
Joined with other healthcare leaders to create the Wisconsin Health Information Organization
2006-2007
Recognized as a Community Leader for Value-Driven Healthcare by the US Department of Health and Human Services
2010-2011
Expanded primary network by contracting with providers in 8 Illinois counties
2014-2015
Launched the QualityPath® program to guide patients to high-value providers for shoppable procedures
2014-2015
Launched the Find a Doctor tool to help patients search for and compare in-network providers
2016-2017
Expanded the network in La Crosse, Eau Claire, and Marshfield to grow new membership and better serve existing members
2017-2018
Focused on expanding the network in Illinois.
2019-2020
Explored new models of primary care, including a near-site vs on-site clinic to be shared geographically by employer-members to improve care and control costs
2020-2021
Embraced remote work to manage the COVID pandemic, a policy that continued with flexible remote and hybrid work options
2021-2022
Announced merger with the Northcentral Employers Healthcare Alliance
2022-2023
Launched campaign to promote steering and tiering among employer-members
2023-2024
Introduced the Premier Networks by The Alliance (Premier Network Ruby and Premier Network Emerald) customizable, tiered networks to further increase savings
2023-2024
Sunset the QualityPath® program