Dr. Oz helps John King promote a health insurance tool for businesses
Dr. Mehmet Oz, a prominent TV physician who now oversees the sprawling Medicaid and Medicare systems for the Trump administration, traveled to Atlanta on Monday to promote a federal program aimed at offering workers more health insurance options.
Custom Health Option and Individual Care Expense arrangements, also known as CHOICE, allow employers to pay workers a fixed amount for health insurance. Those workers then take that money and shop for coverage themselves across a wide range of plans.
The CHOICE model dates to the first Trump administration. But amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Oz said many businesses were reluctant to restructure employee health insurance programs. With the pandemic in the past, the Trump administration has rebranded the program and is promoting it across the country. Monday’s stop in Atlanta was part of that effort.
The tour comes amid a surge in health benefit costs. The latest National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans found total health benefit cost per employee is expected to rise 8.2% in 2027. That would be the highest increase since 2003.
“This is really about affordability,” Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said during a news conference.
On Monday, Republican Insurance Commissioner John King joined Oz to unveil the Georgia Access for Business program. It will help businesses create insurance programs for their employees and assist employees as they select from numerous options available through CHOICE.
“Today, many employers choose one health insurance plan or maybe a small handful of insurance plans, and their employees choose one of those options,” King said. “Instead of the employer purchasing one plan for everyone, the employee can now use employer contributions to purchase a health insurance plan that works best for that individual.”
The program is an extension of Georgia Access, the state-run health insurance exchange that allows individuals to purchase coverage. About 950,000 people get coverage through Georgia Access, including many who receive federal subsidies through the Affordable Care Act.
King said it’s not clear how many Georgia businesses are taking advantage of the new program yet. But nationwide, tens of thousands of companies are offering insurance through the CHOICE model, Oz said.
King has been insurance commissioner since Gov. Brian Kemp appointed him in 2019, making him the first Hispanic person to hold statewide office in Georgia. He won election in his own right in 2022. He’s running for a second full term in November. Democrat Keisha Sean Waites, a former state lawmaker and former Atlanta City Council member, is challenging him.
King said he expects most employees who benefit from Georgia Access for Business will be people who currently do not have health insurance.
Sarah Austin, the owner of a property management firm in Athens, said she and her employees have benefited from the CHOICE approach. Previously, the company paid half of employee insurance premiums for various plans. But those plans became so expensive that only three of her 12 employees opted to get health insurance.
With employees now shopping for their own insurance, Austin said all 12 employees now have coverage.
“They got (the insurance) they wanted, and it fits for their personal needs,” she said.
