MinuteClinic Becomes Participating Provider with Assurant Health

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- MinuteClinic (http://www.minuteclinic.com), the pioneer and largest provider of retail health care in the United States, announced that it has become a participating provider with Milwaukee-based Assurant Health (http://www.assuranthealth.com), a national provider of individual medical, small group and specialty health insurance products.

When visiting a MinuteClinic health care center, members enrolled with Assurant Health will receive in-network health care services. Assurant Health serves 1.1 million people across the U.S.

"We are very pleased to be entering into this agreement with MinuteClinic," said Jim Oatman, Assurant Health senior vice president and chief actuary. "Providing our customers with access to quality health care that is convenient for them is a priority for Assurant Health - and our partnership with MinuteClinic greatly expands the range of affordable and accessible options for sale."

Assurant Health members can visit a MinuteClinic health care center in the following markets: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Detroit, Hartford, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, Northern New Jersey, the New York City metropolitan area, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh/Durham, Seattle, South Florida, Southern Connecticut, Winston-Salem/Greensboro, the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. and the Virginia Suburbs.

More than 45 insurance providers extend coverage to patients who visit MinuteClinic health care centers.

"Our goal is to integrate simple health care solutions into consumers' lifestyles," said Michael C. Howe, MinuteClinic chief executive officer. "By offering quality and convenient treatment that is covered by companies such as Assurant Health, we are helping to reduce costs and the time patients spend away from their families and the workplace."

MinuteClinic health care centers are staffed by master's-prepared, board- certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants who specialize in family health care and are trained to diagnose and treat patients for common illnesses such as strep throat and ear, eye, sinus, bladder and bronchial infections. MinuteClinic also offers common vaccinations, such as influenza, tetanus, MMR, and Hepatitis A & B. Practitioners work in collaboration with physicians and may prescribe medication when it is part of the treatment plan.

MinuteClinic health care centers are open seven days a week, no appointment needs to be made in advance and visits typically take 10-15 minutes.

MinuteClinic practitioners utilize nationally recognized medical protocols to diagnose and treat health conditions. With the patient's consent, treatment information is shared with his or her primary care physician to facilitate continuity of care.

About Assurant Health
Assurant Health has been in business since 1892 and is the brand name for products underwritten and issued by Time Insurance Company, John Alden Life Insurance Company and Union Security Insurance Company. Together, these three underwriting companies provide health insurance coverage for almost one million people nationwide. Each underwriting company is financially responsible for its own insurance products. Primary products include individual medical, small group, short term and student health insurance products, as well as non-insurance products and consumer-choice products such as Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements. With almost 3,000 employees, Assurant Health is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., and has operations offices in Minnesota, Idaho and Florida, as well as sales offices across the country. The Assurant Health Web site is http://www.assuranthealth.com.