Media Mentions

When The Alliance is mentioned in a news article or press release, we share it with our employer-members here.

The alliance self-funding smart health transformation awards

November 20, 2023

Leatherberry awarded 2023 Healthcare Transformation Award

The Avergent founder focuses on helping employers reduce healthcare premiums, expenses

thebusinessnews.com

October 23, 2023

4 steps toward meaningful healthcare payment reform

High-value care makes employees happier, saves businesses money and drives more patients to high-value healthcare providers.

www.benefitnews.com

October 18, 2023

Employers using hospital price data to lower costs, push legislation

More employers are steering their employees to low-cost, high-quality hospitals and outpatient facilities.

www.modernhealthcare.com

July 3, 2023

All-payers claims databases can move healthcare forward

Proposed legislation would give states, purchasers and researchers the data to paint a comprehensive picture of the state of U.S. healthcare.

www.benefitnews.com

November 4, 2022

11 SSM Health Dean orthopedic surgeons starting solo practice, plan specialty hospital

Eleven orthopedic surgeons are leaving SSM Health Dean Medical Group to start an independent practice in Madison managed by an Arizona company, with plans to build a specialty hospital in Dane County within two years and multiple outpatient surgical centers in the region.

madison.com

October 6, 2022

Keeping costs in check

Congress, as part of the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, extended through 2025 the enhanced premium subsidies created by the American…

www.ibmadison.com

May 24, 2022

Wisconsin’s Gap Between Private and Medicare Hospital Payments Among Highest in Nation, Per Study

The disparity between what private health plans and Medicare pay Wisconsin hospitals is among the highest in the nation, according to a new report. But hospitals in the state again […]

wisconsinhealthnews.com

May 24, 2022

The Alliance: Study ranks WI as 4th most expensive state for hospital prices

May 24, 2022, Madison, WI– In round four of the RAND Hospital Price Transparency Study, we see the same message confirmed again from the last round: hospital

www.wispolitics.com

May 23, 2022

Private-public insurance hospital bill gap in Wisconsin 4th highest among states, study says

The Wisconsin Hospital Association questioned the RAND Corp. study method and said Wisconsin ranks high in quality of care.

madison.com

May 11, 2022

Brace yourselves: Hospital system price increases are coming

HCA Healthcare is expected to ask insurers and employers for higher prices after seeing $500 million in higher-than-expected labor costs.

www.benefitspro.com

May 1, 2022

The Rebirth of Health Care Consumerism

Pages 16-22

Read The Self Insurer May by SIPC on Issuu and browse thousands of other publications on our platform. Start here!

issuu.com

December 8, 2021

Are You Ready for September 23rd? Advice on Covering a New Wave of Dependents and Implementing Other Policy Changes

On September 23rd, employers across the country will begin to switch gears from preparing for health care reform to implementing the first major policy change: covering employees’ dependents up to age 26. A raft of other changes takes effect on that day, too.

www.commonwealthfund.org

October 29, 2021

‘Sobering discomfort’: White CEOs of local businesses seek to spur change by changing themselves

As the “travesties against Black people were really mounting” in 2020, Rev. Alex Gee challenged local white CEOs to be more involved in talking about racial injustice and taking action.

captimes.com

September 2, 2021

The Alliance, NEHA: Two of the state’s leading employer health coalition memberships unite

MADISON, WI. (Sept. 2, 2021) – The Alliance and the Northcentral Employers Healthcare Alliance (NEHA) have announced that their members will unite under the umbrella of The Alliance, furthering their shared goal of improving the value of health care. Planning is underway to provide a seamless transi…

www.wisbusiness.com

June 10, 2021

Moving toward quality, affordable care: First-hand perspectives

Business leaders share their experiences trying to move the needle on health care reform and cost control.

www.benefitspro.com

April 4, 2021

Employer group purchasing of healthcare attracting interest of more hospitals

Self-funded employers are joining purchasing cooperatives because they are increasingly dissatisfied with the cost-control efforts of insurers and third-party administrators.

www.modernhealthcare.com

May 1, 2020

How the Coronavirus has Changed Health Care for Good

It’s still a bit early to predict all the ways the COVID-19 pandemic has or will change American society|!!| global relations|!!| or even the globalization of the economy|!!| but there is little doubt it will affect the delivery of health care in profound ways.

www.ibmadison.com

January 11, 2020

How state groups are working to lower healthcare prices

Connecticut, Maine, Colorado and Wisconsin are among the states where payers are limiting healthcare price growth.

www.modernhealthcare.com

August 19, 2019

Cheryl DeMars on achieving longevity in group health care purchasing

Listen in as Suzanne Delbanco calls Cheryl DeMars, President & CEO of The Alliance – a cooperative of 240 self-funded employers pooling their purchasing power to control costs and improve quality. The Alliance contracts directly with health care systems to provide health care for over 90K employees…

www.catalyze.org

March 21, 2019

Health Plans For State Employees Use Medicare’s Hammer On Hospital Bills

Some plans are experimenting with the idea of closely tying hospital reimbursement rates to what Medicare pays. The approach could be a game changer in their effort to control health costs.

khn.org

March 20, 2019

Health Plans For State Employees Use Medicare’s Hammer On Hospital Bills

Some states have begun using Medicare reimbursement rates to recalibrate how they pay hospitals. If the gamble pays off, more private-sector employers could start doing the same thing.

www.cpr.org

March 4, 2019

Employers Can Save Money by Adopting Self-funded Healthcare Models, and Clinical Laboratories Have Opportunities to Support These Plans

By negotiating directly with healthcare providers, employers cut health insurers out of the loop, at least for certain specified healthcare conditions and surgeries It’s a new trend in how employers provide healthcare benefits for their employees. In order to save money, a growing number of employer…

www.darkdaily.com

October 24, 2023

The Alliance: Awarded two Healthcare Transformation Awards to individuals moving healthcare forward

MADISON, WI. (October 24, 2023) – Today, at The Alliance Fall Symposium & Annual Meeting, the cooperative presented Drew Leatherberry and Cynthia Fisher with 2023 Healthcare Transformation Awards for their dedication to improving the accessibility and affordability of healthcare for employers and th…

www.wisbusiness.com

June 19, 2023

What They’re Saying: Patients Advocacy Groups Show Support for Bipartisan E&C Health Subcommittee Hearing on Transparency and Competition

The House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health has convened a hearing titled “Lowering Unaffordable Costs: Examining Transparency and Competition in Health Care.”

energycommerce.house.gov

March 2, 2023

Regulations are holding up access to high-value healthcare

In a true free market, most consumers will naturally seek out lower cost, higher quality products and services. There are numerous reasons why that has not been the case in healthcare. They include the lack of price and quality transparency, complexity of navigating care, consolidation of provider markets and regulations that prevent the alignment of the incentives to drive free-market decisions.

www.benefitnews.com

October 19, 2022

AkosMD & The Alliance Announce an Innovative Virtual Direct Primary Care Partnership

An Innovative Virtual Direct Primary Care Partnership for employers and employees.

www.newswire.com

May 24, 2022

Illinois Ranks 24th for Gap Between Private and Medicare Hospital Payments

Illinois is in the middle of the pack nationally when it comes to the gap between what private health plans and Medicare pays hospitals, according to a new report.

healthnewsillinois.com

May 23, 2022

STATE’S HOSPITAL BILL GAP 4TH-HIGHEST PRIVATELY INSURED PAY OVER THREE TIMES MORE THAN MEDICARE INSURED

Patients with private insurance pay more than three times as much as Medicare patients for hospital care in Wisconsin, a cost shift that ranks fourth-highest in the country, according to a new report. The study last week from RAND Corp., which highlights concerns about employer health care costs, up…

insurancenewsnet.com

May 17, 2022

Cancer treatment centers to use precise, pricey proton therapy

None of the 36 U.S. sites today are in Wisconsin. UW Health and Froedtert Health this week said they plan to launch them by 2024.

madison.com

May 8, 2022

Hospitals Look to Raise Treatment Costs as Nurses’ Salaries Increase

Health insurers and employers are pushing back against the requests to increase hospital prices by as much as 15%.

www.wsj.com

April 1, 2022

Tackling High Health Care Prices: A Look at Four Purchaser-Led Efforts

This article profiles four purchaser-led initiatives to tackle the high costs of health care, centered around direct negotiations with health care providers.

www.commonwealthfund.org

November 4, 2021

Sens. Baldwin & Braun Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Crack Down on Anti-Competitive Practices in Health Care

Tammy Baldwin, D- Wisconsin, issued the following news release:. U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Mike Braun introduced the Healthy Competition for Better Care Act, bipartisan legislation that would crack down on anti-competitive practices and make health care better for patients by ensuring that con…

insurancenewsnet.com

September 20, 2021

The Alliance: Announces three new members to its board of directors

MADISON, WI (Sept. 20, 2021) ─ Employers of The Alliance elected The Alliance Board of Directors at their Fall Symposium & Annual Meeting on Sept. 16, 2021.

www.wisbusiness.com

July 19, 2021

U.S. Proposes Raising Penalty for Hospitals That Don’t Publish Prices

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is seeking to raise penalties as high as $2 million a year for large hospitals that don’t make their prices public, after many of them failed to do so.

www.wsj.com

June 1, 2021

Employers must step up to control health care prices

By leveraging their buying power and teaming up, businesses can keep medical costs from spiraling out of control.

fortune.com

October 1, 2020

Hospitals’ prices across central, northeast Wisconsin vary broadly, study shows

A study shows Wisconsin hospital prices can vary widely by community and even within health care networks.

www.greenbaypressgazette.com

January 11, 2020

Self-insured employers go looking for value-based deals

Self-insured employer groups want to narrow the current large gap between commercial and Medicare payment rates.

www.modernhealthcare.com

November 13, 2019

NOLIN JOINS ALLIANCE BOARD

MADISON, Wis. (November 13, 2019) ─ Jake Nolin, Director of Human Resources at Rice Lake Weighing Systems, has been appointed to The Alliance Board of Directors effective January 1, 2020. […]

wisconsinhealthnews.com

August 9, 2019

Where Tourism Brings Pricey Health Care, Locals Fight Back

Residents in Colorado ski resort country found relief from high insurance premiums and high hospital costs by joining forces and negotiating prices directly with the local hospital.

khn.org

March 20, 2019

Health Plans For State Employees Use Medicare’s Hammer On Hospital Bills

Some states have begun using Medicare reimbursement rates to recalibrate how they pay hospitals. If the gamble pays off, more private-sector employers could start doing the same thing.

www.npr.org

November 15, 2019

NOLIN JOINS ALLIANCE BOARD

MADISON, Wis. (November 13, 2019) ─ Jake Nolin, Director of Human Resources at Rice Lake Weighing Systems, has been appointed to The Alliance Board of Directors effective January 1, 2020.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 15, 2019

madisonbiz.com

February 21, 2019

Fed Up With High Health Care Costs, A Community Asks for A Better Deal

Summit County, Colorado, wants to push hospitals, clinics and doctors for lower prices.