A Local Approach to Better Healthcare

Background

When Summit County was given the dubious distinction of the most expensive healthcare premiums of any county in the US, community leaders took action.

In 2017, The Summit Foundation, a community non-profit in Breckenridge, Colorado, created a task force focused on tackling healthcare. With a lot of data analysis and a little help from the state legislature, Peak Health Alliance was formed in 2019.

How Peak Works Today

Today, Peak is an independent, member-run, locally-led non-profit healthcare purchasing cooperative whose mission is to use the negotiating power of an entire community to bring more affordable healthcare to its residents and businesses. Peak is licensed and regulated by the State of Colorado.

Our operations are funded by a member access fee included in premiums. For the 2022 plan year, through Bright Healthcare, Peak plans will be available to individuals, businesses, and the self-funded in 8 counties across Colorado. Those counties include Dolores, Grand, Lake, La Plata, Montezuma, Park, San Juan, and Summit.

By analyzing local claims data, Peak identifies what residents in a community are paying for care. It then uses this analysis as a starting point for negotiation with hospitals and carriers. We then negotiate and design ACA-compliant plans based on each community’s needs.

Because Peak does not bear risk, we solicit bids from carriers to carry and offer our plans in the regions we serve. For the self-insured, Peak offers access to its negotiated rates directly to the employer’s chosen third party administrator.

Building Success, Community by Community

Each county we serve has different needs, different cost drivers, and different approaches to providing care. To ensure success, we rely on local steering committees that play a vital role in building locally focused solutions.

Our steering committee members also lead outreach and engagement with providers, residents, local leadership, and businesses. This helps us maintain strong community connections as we grow and allows us to build strong provider relationships so locals can rely on a network to find the care they need nearby, yet have access to specialty care when required.

Real Results

Peak has saved several million dollars across the communities it serves. It means money that would have been spent on premiums can flow back into the economy. With a focus on improving affordable access to local providers, families can seek care locally instead of driving to Denver or delaying care.

Although our focus is local, Peak members have access to ANY medically necessary care—even when it cannot be provided in their community. Our statewide network of hospitals includes not only the entire Centura statewide network, but also University Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado.

Beyond simply reducing premiums, Peak focuses on expanding access to providers of critical services with innovative plan designs that include options like dental and vision, unlimited primary care visits, flat-rate imaging, no-cost outpatient behavioral health therapy visits, and physical therapy visits for just a copay. 

Peak has played a role in helping small businesses of nearly any size offer health insurance—often for the first time— through ICHRA, an innovative, tax-free reimbursement program that helps control cost and maximize choice. Peak also offers a full suite of other products for businesses of any size.

Why Support Peak?

Peak’s emphasis on data and analytics and the strength of its membership gives it the ability to work directly with local doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers. 

By partnering with employers, local hospitals, providers, and community leaders, Peak builds more robust, cost-effective plans for communities. They ensure good coverage and access to local care without the barriers imposed by out-of-reach premiums, copays, and deductibles.

Click to learn more on our FAQ page.