Chamber launches health, life insurance plan

The Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce took a step Friday to deal with the health-insurance challenge: It launched a basic health and life insurance plan with limited, low-cost coverage.

The chamber’s plan is being arranged through agreements with Redmond-based Symetra Life Insurance and Fidelity Associates, an independent insurance broker based in Spokane.

Called the Select Benefits plan, it’s available to any company with two or more workers that’s a member of the chamber, said chamber spokeswoman Nicole Hillman-Stewart.

Participants can choose among three tiers, with monthly premiums ranging from $18.74 to $98.72. Those premiums cover both employees and their family members, said Hillman-Stewart.

It’s not meant to be a comprehensive plan, she said. “It’s meant to serve as a basic or supplemental plan,” said Hillman-Stewart.

The $18.74 monthly premium, for instance, provides $20 per doctor’s office visit, with a maximum of $300 per year. At the $98 monthly level, it covers $55 per visit and a total of $300 per year.

The plan also offers benefits for X-rays, accidental death and hospital stays. The plan has no deductibles and no co-pays, Hillman-Stewart said.