Constellation Health pursuing islandwide service by ’16
Ivan Colón, president of Constellation Health
Medicare Advantage provider Constellation Health is looking to expand its services to Puerto Rico’s 78 municipalities starting January 2016, anticipating that the move will create more jobs and usher in the acceptance of more members who will benefit from the advantages of that health plan.
To get the process going, the company submitted a letter of intent to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in November 2014, followed by the February 2015 filing of an application to expand its service area. It is expected that this process will be completed on or before May 2015, with the approval of the request, company officials said.
Currently, the company offers services in 16 municipalities along the island’s Northeast flank, but with the approval of the expansion application it would begin offering its products throughout Puerto Rico.
Constellation Health’s new offer would be available during the 2015 Medicare plans enrollment and change period, and would receive services starting in January 2016.
“This is another challenge that we have and are confident that we will soon achieve the goal of covering the entire island,” said Ivan Colón, president of Constellation Health.
“During the last enrollment period, new members placed their trust in us because they believe in our product and we have come through by ensuring their access to suppliers and addressing the quality of health services they need,” he said.
As part of the approval process, Constellation Health is contracting suppliers all over Puerto Rico. At present, the plan has a network of more than 3,500 suppliers and is “growing rapidly,” he said.
“The company, which currently has more than 6,300 members, wants to make available a new way to stay healthy to all Puerto Ricans, a new formula from what they have known so far,” Colón said.
In 2014, a year after starting operations, Constellation Health announced it had created 243 jobs and at that time had 2,411 members in the Northeastern region of Puerto Rico, which covers 16 municipalities.
