Press Release
August 9, 2005

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce announced today that Brooklyn HealthWorks, an innovative, low-cost health insurance program for small businesses, is now available to eligible companies located throughout the borough of Brooklyn.  (Download press release by clicking here.)  Brooklyn HealthWorks is a one-of-a-kind insurance program designed to assist small businesses in Brooklyn who have previously been unable to afford health insurance for their employees and their families.  As of August 1, 2005, the expanded program, which is a collaboration between the Brooklyn Chamber and Group Health, Inc. (GHI), is available borough-wide and now features the GHI Tri-State Provider Network of over 72,000 doctors and specialists in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.  Now, every hospital in Brooklyn is in the plan.

Kenneth Adams, President of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, said, "Access to affordable health insurance continues to be the number one concern for countless small businesses throughout our borough.  This new Brooklyn HealthWorks program provides quality care at a price Brooklyn businesses can afford.”

Brooklyn HealthWorks, administered by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and insured by GHI, was created in conjunction with the New York State Insurance Department, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Health Resource & Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and a consortium of other public and private organizations.  Brooklyn HealthWorks will be co-marketed with HealthPass, an innovative partnership between the New York Business Group on Health, the City of New York and the health insurance industry.  HealthPass allows the employees of eligible businesses to choose from 30+ coverage options to find the healthcare plan that best fits their medical needs and budgets. 

"We know that New York City's small businesses need affordable options to provide health insurance for their workers" said Deputy Mayor Dennis M. Walcott.   "The public and private partnerships that made Brooklyn HealthWorks, and the recent improvements brought through access to GHI's Tri-State provider network, provide an important example of what is needed to expand access to insurance for the City's uninsured."

The new Brooklyn HealthWorks program will feature two new affordable health insurance plans with monthly premium costs for individual coverage ranging from $157 to $169 (the higher premium product features lower co-pays for hospital stays and surgery).  Both Brooklyn HealthWorks products are based on GHI’s Healthy New York EPO product and subject to the same eligibility criteria.

"We are delighted to be working with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce to make affordable health coverage a reality for businesses and families across Brooklyn,” said Frank J. Branchini, President and CEO of GHI.  “Brooklyn HealthWorks shows what can be done when providers, businesses, health insurers, government and advocates work together and think innovatively.”

Small businesses were attracted to the original Brooklyn HealthWorks plan because of the price.  “I have had health insurance in the past, but because of the cost I was not able to keep the plan.  As a small business, it is difficult to offer benefits because rarely are they affordable,” said Selma Jackson, owner of 4W Circle Art & Enterprise.  “Last year when Brooklyn HealthWorks was introduced, I immediately signed up and enrolled my employee.  I used the plan right away and what I liked was the freedom to select doctors.  Initially that selection was limited to Brooklyn, but now that the new improved plan offers selection in the tri-state area, participants should not have any trouble finding a doctor.   Brooklyn HealthWorks has made it possible for me to run my business and not worry about whether that uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach is a disease or just my nerves – because I can go get it checked and not be afraid of the medical expense.”

To find out more about Brooklyn HealthWorks, including enrollment requirements, benefits and provider directories, Brooklyn business owners can call Michelle Matthews, Director of Brooklyn HealthWorks, at 718-596-4550.  Information can also be accessed on the Brooklyn HealthWorks Web site at http://www.brooklynhealthworks.com/.