Metro Health, an integrated hospital and physician network with locations throughout West Michigan, and Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), a leading health and well-being company, announced today an agreement through which Humana will offer a new health insurance plan to people in Grand Rapids purchasing insurance through the Michigan Health Insurance Marketplace (commonly referred to as an exchange).

The new exchange plan is an HMO built around Metro Health’s hospital and physician network. The plan includes Humana’s many member tools and resources that help members make healthier lifestyle decisions, manage chronic illness and get access to needed care.

Under terms of the agreement, Humana members will have in-network access to Metro Health Hospital in the city of Wyoming, and Metro Health’s 12 neighborhood physician offices and 500 affiliated physicians located throughout West Michigan.

”Having access to primary care and a relationship with a primary care physician is the cornerstone to managing health,” said Mike Faas, president and CEO of Metro Health. “We are happy to partner with Humana to help provide access and improve the health of our community.”

“Metro Health is a perfect partner as we work together to offer accessible world-class health care to Grand Rapids residents,” says Joe Braun, Humana’s Michigan Market Point Director. “Our mutual commitment to quality care and an extraordinary patient experience helps us improve the health and well-being of people in Kent County.”

As part of Humana’s education efforts for the Open Enrollment Period, taking place now through Feb. 15, Humana will once again partner with CVS/pharmacy, YMCA and other community organizations to provide information people need to find out if they are eligible for financial assistance, understand their plan options, and feel confident using their plan benefits.

Humana is also encouraging people to find out if they qualify for premium rate assistance through an advance premium tax credit or cost-sharing assistance to help them lower the cost of their health insurance. Humana has developed an EasyPrice calculator to help people estimate their financial assistance and find plan options in their market and is hosting a variety of educational events around the country. These tools can be found on www.HumanaHelps.com/GrandRapids.

About Metro Health

An award-winning leader in community healthcare, Metro Health serves more than 250,000 patients annually from across West Michigan – and beyond. In addition to its 208-bed hospital, which provides a comprehensive suite of inpatient and outpatient healthcare services, Metro Health has a growing number neighborhood outpatient centers and offices throughout West Michigan, as well as a community clinic for the underserved and two student health clinics. With more than 500 physicians on staff, Metro Health provides a growing number of specialty health services, including cancer treatment, heart and vascular, neurology, pulmonology and others. Many are members of the Metro Health Medical Group. The hospital is committed to promoting health and wellness through the work of the Metro Health Hospital Foundation, Live Healthy community outreach classes and educational programs and more. Visit us www.metrohealth.net, follow us on Twitter @MetroHealthGr and like us on Facebook/MetroHealth.

About Humana

Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a leading health and well-being company focused on making it easy for people to achieve their best health with clinical excellence through coordinated care. The company’s strategy integrates care delivery, the member experience, and clinical and consumer insights to encourage engagement, behavior change, proactive clinical outreach and wellness for the millions of people we serve across the country.

More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site at www.humana.com, including copies of:

  • Annual reports to stockholders;
  • Securities and Exchange Commission filings;
  • Most recent investor conference presentations;
  • Quarterly earnings news releases;
  • Replays of most recent earnings release conference calls;
  • Calendar of events (including upcoming earnings conference call dates and times, as well as planned interaction with research analysts and institutional investors);
  • Corporate Governance information.