3-Share Plan Evaluation

Evaluation of the impact of the Galveston 3-Share health benefit plan on employers and employees of small businesses

The Galveston 3-Share Plan is a health benefits program offered to employees of small employers in Galveston County. While not an insurance plan, the program allows qualified employers to offer affordable health benefits to their employees with a $180 per month cost split three ways. For every employee enrolled, employers and employees each pay $60 per month. A third party pays the remaining $60 per month. In Galveston’s program, this share is paid by combination of Houston Endowment grant funds and UTMB funds, but the share could alternatively be paid by a hospital district or other entity, or if no sponsor can be found, the monthly cost can be split two-ways. Benefits include primary and preventive care, hospitalization, pharmacy, and mental health care.

The 3-Share Plan was originally developed in the CEHD, which is now assisting AT&T Center for Telehealth Research and Policy at UTMB to examine the impact of the Galveston 3-Share Plan on small business employers, employees, and health care providers in Galveston County. The study includes patients enrolled in the 3-Share Plan seeking primary and specialty care and hospitalization with the goal of investigating and characterizing the impact of health encounters with respect to clinical outcomes, utilization and accessibility, and patient satisfaction.

The evaluation includes quantitative and qualitative research methodologies on clinical outcomes, utilization, and access to medical care, with an emphasis on preventive primary care and patient satisfaction. In addition, the evaluation assesses employer participation in the 3-Share Plan and employers’ ability to recruit and retain employees and promote employee health.

The evaluation focuses on three areas:

1. employee access, health outcomes, and quality of life;
2. employer recruitment and retention of employees, productivity, and cost savings; and
3. UTMB’s and Galveston County’s cost savings and impact on health outcomes.

Galveston 3-Share Plan

The AT&T Center for Telehealth Research and Policy at UTMB