Special Message to SolidaritUS Health Members in the Chippewa Valley

June 1, 2020

Dear SolidaritUS Health member,

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed lives of all Americans in ways few could have imagined a short time ago. Never in recent memory has incomparably quick access to care and counseling from an experienced physician — a personal doctor who has time to get to know and care for you and your family — been so important.

That’s exactly the kind of health care you selected when you enrolled in SolidaritUS Health. You chose unparalleled access to same-day/next day urgent care appointments and ongoing access to a personal SolidaritUS Health physician through scheduled appointments and medically secure teleconferencing, email, text, and mobile phone. You chose availability of a broad scope of primary care services, including preventive care, episodic sick care, health coaching and counseling, vaccinations, nearly 1,000 lab tests, and approximately 50 of the most commonly prescribed medications — all with no out-of-pocket costs to you or your family.

Our commitment to providing you unparalleled access to world-class care stands unaltered by the novel coronavirus pandemic. In fact, we have increased the range of our health care services in response to our members’ needs, and we will continue to do so.

At a time like the present one, we could not be more pleased to introduce you to Dr. Enitza George, MD. Dr. George joins Dr. Jodi Ritsch, MD, as a member of the SolidaritUS Health physician team serving our members in the Chippewa Valley.

Many of you have had the privilege of knowing and receiving care from Dr. Ritsch, who has served patients in the Eau Claire community for many years, providing top-quality family care at the Mayo Clinic, in private practice, and now as anchor of our physician team at SolidaritUS Health.

Dr. George brings our Chippewa Valley members additional years of experience as a family physician and personal wellness coach, with a special focus on nutrition, lifestyle management, and sports medicine. “Being healthy is more than not being sick,” says Dr. George. “SolidaritUS Health gives me the opportunity to care for my patients’ physical, mental, emotional, social, environmental and even spiritual wellness.”

Over the next several weeks, Dr. Ritsch and Dr. George will be reaching out to our members, individual-by-individual and family-by-family, to renew relationships or get to know you for the first time. They are hoping to answer any questions you may have and provide up-to-date medical information about managing your care during the unfolding pandemic.

But you don’t have to wait for a call. You can schedule a telephone, video conference, or in-health center appointment with Dr. Ritsch or Dr. George by calling (715) 318-0050.

We’re in this together. Please stay safe.

Mark Blum, President
SolidaritUS Health

May 20, 2020

To former Spirit Employees,

The physicians and staff of SolidaritUS Health have developed a close bond with so many of you since we launched world-class direct primary care and unparalleled patient service for you and your families just 22 months ago. Our hearts are heavy with the news that several hundred Oklahoma Spirit employees have had to be laid off.

We urge you to exercise your right to continue your Spirit health coverage after May 31 by enrolling in COBRA, which will include continued access for you and your family to your SolidaritUS family doctor and the full scope of primary care services that SolidaritUS Health provides.

Yet, we remain concerned that, after May 31, those of you who opt not to pay COBRA premiums will lose all access to the continuing care you and your loved ones need. In response to this dire situation, we have created an option to allow former Spirit employees who have opted out of COBRA enrollment to continue to receive the same level of SolidaritUS Health direct primary care that you and your family enjoy, today, for a monthly fee of $87 per person. If you wish to elect this option, you may enroll online.

For this monthly fee, SolidaritUS will provide you the full array of SolidaritUS Health direct primary care services after May 31, including preventive care, episodic sick care, urgent care services, chronic disease management, health coaching, a range of in-clinic procedures and treatments, access to approximately 1,000 lab tests, immunizations, and about 50 of the most commonly prescribed medicines — all provided by your personal SolidritUS Health doctor without any out-of-pocket copays or deductible costs for you.

Be mindful that SolidaritUS Health is not insurance; no direct primary care is a substitute for having an insurance plan that provides you coverage for emergency room, specialist and hospital services you may need. Again, we urge you to enroll in COBRA coverage, if you can. Unlike COBRA coverage, or other health insurance, direct primary care is not designed to cover all benefits and services mandated by the Affordable Care Act and state insurance laws for traditional health insurance plans.

Nonetheless, the broad scope of primary care services SolidaritUS Health offers will meet a great deal of the typical health care needs of a working family. If you do not exercise your right to pay for COBRA coverage, we hope the option to enroll in SolidaritUS Heath we are offering can be a source of security to you and your family in knowing that your basic health care needs can continue to be met until you are recalled or you land your next job with employer-sponsored health coverage.

We’ve been able to arrange two choices of methods for you to pay the individual SolidaritUS Health member fees of $87 per month, either:

1. The preferred option: Automated monthly payment (ACH) from your bank account.
2. A recurring monthly credit card charge.

You may choose either option online when you enroll.

There are no great choices in a time of disruption to production such as Spirit AeroSystems and all of you are experiencing at this time. We have created this option for continuing SolidaritUS Health direct primary care as individual enrollees exclusively to provide you an affordable bridge for meeting your family’s basic health care needs until the full health coverage benefits you deserve can be restored. Learn more about enrollment options by calling Rick Dade of the SolidaritUS team at 301-325-6655.

In solidarity and good health,

Mark Blum, President
SolidaritUS Health