Across the nation, employers, union trusts and other health-plan sponsors
have united to establish more than 60 health care coalitions. The concept for
health care coalitions is simple: Leverage the collective size and resources
of a group of organizations to influence the cost, quality and access to health
care services in a community, region, state or the nation as a whole.
Health care coalitions vary in the scope of services they provide – some purchase services such as pharmacy benefits, some create their own physician networks, some are very active in community health improvement initiatives, and some simply share information and provide networking opportunities. Regardless of the scope of services, the core mission of a coalition is to help members maximize the value of the benefits they provide.