By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
When ValueHealth, the parent company of Benefit Management (BMI), filed for bankruptcy last week, it forced the abrupt closure of the Great Bend business and the rest of ValueHealth’s businesses. BMI served as a health insurance and benefit administrator for several entities, including Barton Community College.
The college is self-insured, but BMI acted as the claims processor. Barton Vice President of Administration Mark Dean said the closure caused some employees and medical providers to panic, even though college employees never lost their health insurance, just their claims administrator.
"You had individuals who were already going through emotional problems because either them or a spouse has a terrible medical condition," said Dean. "They're going to get treatment and the provider says we're not going to treat you unless you pay cash. We did have a few employees that had appointments last Thursday and Friday who were told they had to pay cash and they had to reschedule."
Barton met with Freedom Claims Management last Friday and agreed to have the business take over the college’s claims management. A letter from Freedom Claims was sent to all employees Tuesday notifying them of their new processor.
"We've been on the phones with doctors, dentists and hospitals," said Dean. "I had three today that were turning our employees down still. Once we explained to them what the actual situation is, all of them have reversed it and are providing treatment and services."
Benefit Management shut down their downtown Great Bend office Wednesday morning and notified their employees that all operations were coming to an end.