Group Health Incorporated

Group Health Incorporated (GHI) was established in 1937 as Group Health Association of New York, a small health cooperative with a handful of subscribers and premiums of less than $2000. Over the years, Group Health Association of New York was successively called Cooperative Health Association of New York, Group Health Cooperative, Group Health Insurance and, since 1971, Group Health Incorporated.

Today, Group Health Incorporated is the largest not-for-profit health insurance company in New York State, offering a full range of low cost medical, hospital, dental, mental health, vision and prescription drug plans. We currently provide services for 2.1 million individuals.

A heritage of innovation

Throughout our existence, Group Health Incorporated has pioneered many of the programs that are now standard in the health insurance field. Nationwide, we were the first health services corporation selected as the single nationwide administrator for Coordination of Benefits (COB) for Medicare. And in New York State, Group Health Incorporated was the first  . . .

• Not-for-profit medical insurance carrier to be incorporated;

• Medical insurance carrier to offer paid-in-full benefits regardless of patient income;

• To cover preventive medicine, such as annual physical exams and well-baby care;

• To cover in-hospital medical care;

• To provide paid-in-full benefits for out-of-hospital diagnostic x-ray and laboratory tests performed by participating doctors;

• To cover out-of-hospital psychiatric care;

• To institute a voluntary second surgical consultation program to eliminate unnecessary surgery and upgrade surgical care;

• Independent voluntary health insurance carrier designated by the Social Security Administration to function as a Medicare Part B carrier; and

• To include an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) benefit for small groups.

(Information updated as of 2011 from Group Health Incorporated‘s website)