Humana spurs job growth

By Richard Ryman

rryman@greenbaypressgazette.com



Humana Inc.’s success in individual health insurance sales means more jobs in Green Bay.

Membership in HumanaOne has topped 100,000 nationwide, and that means about 100 jobs in Green Bay dedicated to servicing those policies. As sales grow, so will the number of jobs needed to support the business.

All administrative functions for HumanaOne are in the Feld Building in downtown Green Bay, including customer service, claims processing and operations.

Humana has other offices for its individual plan in Waukesha, Madison and San Antonio where about 500 people work in product development, sales, telemarketing and underwriting.

“Once the policy is sold, we get involved with the customer on a very close basis,” said Jan Battiola, director of service operations for the Wisconsin Service Center in Green Bay.

“They are footing the entire bill. Their purchasing decisions are different than in the group world. They pay attention. They want to know.”

Humana started selling its individual policies in May 2002 in Illinois. Growth has been steady. The policies are now available in 15 states, with plans to expand to around a dozen more in 2005, said Tod Zacharias, vice president of the Small Group Division in De Pere. About 8,000 plan members live in Wisconsin.

Brown County is home to Louisville, Ky.-based Humana’s Small Group Division and HumanaDental.

“As we looked at the marketplace we serve … the individual market seemed to be a marketplace we were missing,” Zacharias said.

Zacharias said that in coming years purchases by self-employed individuals are expected to increase, while the number of small employers offering coverage to their workers is expected to decrease.

Humana felt it had some advantages going in, including strong nationwide health plan networks and advanced technology. For instance, applications for individual plans are taken over the telephone and some coverage is activated the same day. Individual-plan members have access to a secure Web site with personalized health insurance information, including benefit details, claims information and health reference materials.

The extensive networks allow individual plans to take advantage of discounts and make the plan portable anywhere in the country.

There are four deductible levels ranging from $500 to $5,000, and options are available for prescription drug coverage and Health Savings Accounts.

Early indications are the individual business can be profitable, Zacharias said. “It’s breaking even already this year.”