AmeriProtect Introduces New Individual Health Insurance Option
MAC Members Who Don’t Qualify for Group Health Option Can Now Obtain Individual Health Insurance Through AmeriProtect Program
AmeriProtect, the MAC’s wholly owned subsidiary that offers insurance options created by chiropractors for chiropractors, is proud to announce a new health insurance option for MAC members who don’t qualify for the group health insurance policy. AmeriProtect has partnered with licensed insurance agent Robyn Wilson Peake and USHEALTH Advisors to offer MAC members the opportunity to obtain individual health insurance through a vetted and MAC-approved agent.
“We found that some MAC members were not qualifying for our group policy, and we decided to do something about it,” said Donald M. Reno, DC, Executive Director of AmeriProtect. “This is an awesome opportunity for ALL MAC members to insure their offices while at the same time keeping the profession’s valuable resources in the profession.”
Prior to this agreement, some MAC members were denied coverage through AmeriProtect’s group health insurance program because the group plan required at least two “common law” employees. Under common-law rules, anyone who performs services for you is your employee if you can control what will be done and how it will be done. However, the individual him- or herself, as well as their spouses, are excluded from this definition, meaning that sole practitioners with no additional employees, or offices where a husband-wife team constitute the office’s sole employees, were unable to obtain group coverage. This new opportunity helps remedy the sole practitioner situation and should cover the large majority of MAC member offices.
For more information, contact Wes Hoffrichter at (517) 367-2225 / wes@chiromi.com or Robyn Wilson Peake at (269) 743-3913 / Robyn.Peake@USHAdvisors.com.
What is AmeriProtect?
Who owns and operates AmeriProtect?
AmeriProtect, located in Lansing, Michigan, is owned by the Michigan Association of Chiropractors (MAC) and its operations run out of the MAC headquarters. It is governed by its own Board of Trustees, all MAC members, who oversee the growth and transparency of the group.
Where do the profits go?
In short, all profits stay in the profession. Sure, there are overhead costs, but the mission of AmeriProtect is to provide quality, affordable insurance products to Michigan chiropractors, while keeping their hard-earned financial resources in the chiropractic profession.
How does AmeriProtect benefit the chiropractic profession?
Normally, when chiropractors purchase their health and workers’ compensation from other carriers, that money spent is NEVER returned to the profession. In fact, some carriers actively lobby against chiropractors at the capital. Here is a quote from a senior Blue Cross official testifying against Michigan Senate Bill 282 (which would require workers’ compensation to pay for all chiropractic services legally performed under our scope of practice):
“This bill expands reimbursement for chiropractic care into the primary care arena, which we believe jeopardizes patient safety and exposes injured workers to the risk of misdiagnosis and unnecessary care. A worker’s health and safety is our foremost concern whether it is on the job site or in the exam room. By not interacting with a primary care doctor, the patient risks a delay in receiving appropriate care.”
In short, the money most chiropractors are spending on health and workers’ compensation coverages is funding opposition activities. AmeriProtect wants to help stop that process.
