GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Priority Health announced today that it has improved access to quality health care for Medicaid members in Michigan with an expanded relationship with Metro Health. Through a new agreement with the award-winning community hospital, Priority Health Medicaid members will now have access to the Metro Health network of physicians, neighborhood outpatient centers and the Metro Health Hospital in Wyoming. The agreement is an extension of Priority Healths existing contract with Metro Health, which already offers access to Priority Health HMO, PPO, individual and Medicare members.

We are committed to addressing real concerns around access to health care for our Medicaid members, said Michael P. Freed, president and CEO of Priority Health. Its Priority Healths mission to provide access to excellent and affordable health care and improve the health and lives of the people we serve.

With the addition of Metro Health hospital and physicians, Priority Health will further enhance its already sizeable Medicaid network of more than 8,000 health care providers and 39 hospitals serving its nearly 70,000 Medicaid members.

We are very pleased to expand our relationship with Priority Health in order to better serve Medicaid patients in West Michigan, said Michael Faas, president and CEO of Metro Health. As a community hospital, we are committed to providing access to quality, affordable health care to our residents. As new regulations come into effect under federal health care reform, Metro Health is looking at ways to expand the services we provide. We look forward to serving more Medicaid patients through our expanded relationships with Priority Health.

Pending approval from the State of Michigan, under the Affordable Care Act, individuals under 65years of age with income below 133percent of the federal poverty level will be eligible for Medicaid. Those interested in finding out if they are eligible for Medicaid today can fill out an application at their local Department of Human Services (DHS) office. Visit http://www.michigan.gov/dhs to learn more. To determine eligibility for Medicaid under the new health care reform rules visit understandinghealthreform.com.

Also new to its agreement with Metro Health is a continuity of care arrangement which enables Priority Health members to continue to see their Metro Health physician even if they switch between employer-sponsored, individual, Medicare or Medicaid coverage.

Traditionally access to a facility or physician varies depending on the type of health insurance you carry, adds Freed. With our enhanced agreement with Metro Health, we are making it easier for our members to access quality health care and preserve the relationships they have built with their physician and hospital regardless of the Priority Health product they have selected.

Priority Healths Commercial HMO/POS, Medicaid, Medicare PPO and Medicare HMO/POS plans have all earned Excellent ratings in five key areas; Access & Service, Qualified Providers, Staying Healthy, Getting Better, and Living with Illness, from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the most rigorous and comprehensive accreditation organization in the industry.

Priority Health offers Medicaid benefits in 17 counties in Michigan. A map of Priority Healths Medicaid service area is available at priorityhealth.com.

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Priority Health Expands Access to Quality Health Care for Medicaid