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BLISCare is the first and only insurance product which provides insurancecoverage to bariatric surgeons covering the cost of complication relatedmedical care. BLIS was founded with the support of the American Society forMetabolic & Bariatric Surgery (http://www.asmbs.org), which has endorsedBLISCare. It is estimated that 30% of the bariatric procedures performed inthe U.S., (205,000 total cases according to the ASMBS for 2007) are cash pay.
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Financial burdens faced by patients who have no choice but to pay cash inorder to gain access to bariatric (weight loss) surgery is the focus ofBLISCare. Prior to BLIS the cash pay patient was entirely at risk for all thecosts of complication related medical care.
The BLIS surgeon is able to make a commitment to cash pay patients that,should a covered surgical complication arise, the patient will have access tothe additional medical care needed to treat the complication at no additionalcost to the patient up to the limits of the coverage provided. The ability tooffer patients this safety net of protection is unique to BLIS surgeons andcan play an important role in growing the cash pay portion of their practice.
BLIS has developed unique and exclusive data concerning the frequency andcost of caring for bariatric surgical complications. This data supports theBLIS underwriting process, which is highly selective. Only the highestquality bariatric surgeons are eligible to become a BLIS surgeon. Since theirfirst case in December of 2006, BLIS has provided protection on over 750bariatric cases and has paid on behalf of BLIS surgeons over $2,400,000 inmedical bills that would otherwise have been the responsibility of theindividual patient.
"This agreement will allow BLIS to continue to grow and support bariatricsurgeons with the financial protection they need in order to protect those whoneed it most -- the cash paying patient risking it all to gain access to lifesaving bariatric surgery," said Regi Schindler, President and CEO of BLIS,Inc. "Our mission is to improve access to weight loss surgery. The financialstrength and security of United Specialty Insurance Company will help BLIS todeliver its proven solution across the entire bariatric market thus ensuringsurgeons throughout the U.S. are able to offer patients the access they need."
About BLIS(TM)BLIS is a privately held company headquartered in LakeOswego, Oregon with an insurance services office in Bloomington, MN and awholly owned insurance entity based in Grand Cayman. BLIS provides insurance,patient financing and professional consulting services through a network ofrelated business entities and industry partners. More information is athttp://www.bliscompany.com or Regi Schindler at (503) 342-2444 [email protected]
About United Specialty Insurance Company
United Specialty Insurance Company is an excess and surplus lines carrierand has an A.M. Best 'A' (Excellent) rating. USIC is a part of the StateNational group of insurance companies with headquarters in Fort Worth, TX.More information is at http://www.statenational.com.
(C)2008 BLIS, Inc. BLIS(TM) is a trademark of BLIS, Inc. corporation inthe United States and/or other countries. Other brand and product names aretrademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Informationis subject to change without notice. All rights reserved.
(C) 2008 BLIS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
