Growth Initiatives Add Jobs at Dean Health Plan

Dean Health Plan (DHP) will add between 30 and 50 new jobs to its Madison headquarters, as it announces a three year agreement with Milwaukee-based Children’s Community Health Plan(CCHP) to provide administrative services for CCHP’s expanding Badger Care membership. The CCHP contract represents the second growth initiative DHP has undertaken in recent months, in an effort to diversify and expand service in its 20-county region and beyond.  

The agreement, which builds on an existing service arrangement between DHP and CCHP, will provide claims processing, customer service and other administrative functions.  The new business stemming from the agreement is estimated to boost DHP membership to more than 400,000 members by June and will require a bump in Madison staffing to accommodate new members. 

Lon Sprecher, DHP president and CEO, said the company’s growth is a positive example of business diversity and growth in the face of challenges health care systems are tackling in a post health care reform market.

”Today’s health systems need to change their business model or face the consequences,” Sprecher said. “Dean is attempting to tackle these challenges head on through diversity and growth.”

Sprecher added that the CCHP expansion is just one more example of DHP’s focus on growth and ability to deal with a changing health care marketplace. “With our recent launch of Prevea360 Health Plan in Green Bay and, now, the CCHP expansion, our ability to impact job creation is looking positive,” he said.

Last July, DHP signed an agreement with Green Bay, Wisconsin-based Prevea Health and St. Vincent Hospital to offer health insurance products through a managed care provider network in northeastern Wisconsin. Since then, DHP reports adding 20 positions to its Madison office and three positions to its new Prevea360 office in Green Bay. The company expects to add approximately 14 more Prevea360 employees to Madison and Green Bay over the next 12 to 18 months.