Johns Hopkins Tweaks Name of Health Insurance Plans To Reflect Large, Varied Roles

Many large health systems have health plans for their employees, so they have some experience as a payer/insurer as well as being a large provider. But a growing number of them are branching out from their employee-only health plans and fast becoming major players, at least at a regional level.

A prime example is Johns Hopkins and its famous hospital and medical school. Last week, Johns Hopkins HealthCare announced that it was changing its name to Johns Hopkins Health Plans. The namechanged entity has 470,000 members, of which only 55,000, or 11%, are Hopkins employees and their families.

In addition to the employee plan, the organization operates US Family Health Plan, a health insurance plan for active-duty family members and military retirees and their families that has a geographic reach that includes Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and parts of Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia; Priority Partners, which it co-owns with the Maryland Community Health System, and which Hopkins says is Maryland’s largest Medicaid managed care plan; and Johns Hopkins Advantage MD, a Medicare Advantage plan.

Collectively, the plans generate more than $3 billion in premiums, according to the July 12 press release about the name tweak.

The press release about the name change says members won’t experience any change in benefits or network of provider. Enhanced scheduling functions and easier patient navigation will continue, the press release says.

“Our new name better captures our core business, which is helping our plan members access the top-tier healthcare and celebrated clinical and research assets of Johns Hopkins,” the press release quoted J.P. Holland, the CEO of Johns Hopkins Health Plans, as saying. Holland has been CEO for almost five years, according to this LinkedIn page.

According to Hopkins officials, the employee plan was formed in 1995. Priority Partners came under Johns Hopkins HealthCare a year later, followed by US Family Health Plan. The Medicare Advantage plan was added to the portfolio in 2016.