Milwaukee and Buffalo, May 11, 2021 The Business Health Care Group (BHCG), a coalition of employers primarily located throughout eastern Wisconsin, announced today a new partnership with Centivo. Centivo offers a new primary care-centered health plan, built to provide employers and their employees an affordable, financially sustainable alternative to plans offered by traditional insurance carriers. The plan will be offered exclusively as an option for BHCG self-funded member employers effective January 1, 2022.


Centivo is finalizing the development of high-value networks in direct partnership with leading health care systems and provider groups across eastern Wisconsin. BHCG self-funded member employers can offer Centivo as their sole health plan or alongside other coverage options of their choice.


“Employers in eastern Wisconsin are frustrated by the ever-increasing health care cost trend in our area, yet remain firmly committed to the health and wellbeing of their employees,” said Jeffrey Kluever, Executive Director, BHCG. “With Centivo, our member employers can offer their employees high-quality care at lower and more predictable costs, while at the same time saving significantly on their overall health care spend. This approach supports the BHCG mission of using the collective voice and knowledge of our member employers to lead change and create value.”


The BHCG/Centivo high-performance health plan features three network options with varying provider participation and savings potential. Plans will be designed to guide member care through high-performing primary care physicians and their teams. For employers, the plan offers cost savings, highly competitive and fully transparent administrative fees and sophisticated analytics regarding utilization and cost trends.


The new BHCG/Centivo plan utilizes innovative provider contracting that moves away from traditional payment models that are based on the number and types of services rendered, and towards payment based on value. Said Leslie Dixon, chief human resources officer at Baird, “The significance of partnering with providers to negotiate contracts where they are paid for quality and cost efficiency should not be understated. Health systems and provider groups have been asking for a clear reward structure that is in the provider’s control and employers are interested in collaborating with those groups to create value and accountability. 


“Just as important, employers, often for the first time, can actually see the terms of the contracts put in place rather than being hidden behind the walls of an insurance carrier. As a major employer, Baird welcomes having this new option to consider as we work to improve health care quality and cost efficiency for our employees and their families,” Dixon added.


Said Ashok Subramanian, CEO, Centivo, “Eastern Wisconsin is a great example of how costs vary widely for similar treatments and medical conditions with little correlation to efficient and effective outcomes. We are very much looking forward to working with BHCG member employers and their advisors to show how the Centivo health plan model brings costs and outcomes into alignment via primary care-centered networks built on a foundation of quality and affordability.”


“We are excited BHCG and Centivo are partnering to bring about positive health care changes in eastern Wisconsin,” said Dan Velicer, vice president, global benefits at Kohler Co. “Centivo’s commitment to finding the best and most efficient care through Wisconsin’s first high-performance health plan solution aligns with our strategic goals to impact the unaffordability of health care.”


BHCG and Centivo will be presenting details about the new high-performance health plan offering during an online product rollout meeting on June 16 from 9:00 – 11:00 am. Employers, their advisors and providers are encouraged to check the BHCG website for more information and event registration.


About Business Health Care Group

The Business Health Care Group (BHCG) leverages member employer purchasing power and knowledge to lead change. The organization creates value through innovative, shared strategies to improve health care quality and cost efficiency for employers, employees, and the community. BHCG membership exceeds 250,000 covered lives in the 22-county region of eastern Wisconsin and additional lives nationwide through standalone memberships for employers accessing BHCG best in class strategic partners. Visit BHCGWI.org to learn more. 


About Centivo

Centivo is a new type of digital health plan anchored around leading providers of value-based care. Centivo saves self-funded employers 15 percent or more compared to traditional insurance carriers and is easy to use for employers and employees. Our mission is to bring lower cost, higher quality healthcare to the millions of working Americans who struggle to pay their healthcare bills. With Centivo, employers can offer their employees affordable and predictable costs, a high-tech member experience, exceptional service, and a range of benefit options including both proprietary primary care-centered ACO models as well as traditional networks. For more information, visit centivo.com or follow us @Centivo on LinkedIn or @CentivoHealth on Twitter.


For media inquiries please contact bruce.lee@centivo.com

John Watson