Little Rock, Arkansas-based QualChoice Health Plan Services, a manager of Medicare Advantage health insurance plans through Soundpath Health, will close its Federal Way office and layoff 164 employees.
QualChoice’s owner since 2014, Catholic Health Initiatives, has decided to divest its health plan operations and has sold the Soundpath health contract to Premera Blue Cross. The layoffs should come as no surprise to any employee as the company announced its plans to divest its certain health plan operations in 2016.
However, the plan closing does come as a shock to its senior citizen clients. In a letter dated October 2, 2018, the company advised its members that “QualChoice Advantage won’t offer your Medicare plan in 2019. This means your coverage through QualChoice Advantage will end December 31, 2018. You need to make some decisions about your Medicare coverage. It is important you take action before December 31, or you will lose your prescription drug coverage and only have Original Medicare starting January 1, 2019.”
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