What is a 3-Share plan?

A 3-Share plan, also referred to as a “multi-share plan” creates opportunities to enhance benefits and/or reduce employer and employee health care costs by splitting the financial responsibility for providing health care with a third payor – public or philanthropic funding sources. This plan has two fundamental advantages that are important to the sustainability of the program:

• By splitting the financial responsibility for the program, it ensures that each party – employer, employee, and the community – has a vested interest in making the program successful.
• And, perhaps more importantly, the public subsidy stabilizes the program by making it inexpensive enough to maintain enrollment of low wage employees. Absent the subsidy and employer contribution, these employees may be able to find less expensive products elsewhere, or not participate in any plan, which would de-stabilize the risk pool and eventually make the program financially untenable.

While providing basic health benefits adequate for most individuals, the Dallas County Plan in not conventional insurance. The Plan is only for employees regularly working 30 hours per week or more (no dependent coverage), is not comprehensive and does not assume the full risk for all of a member’s healthcare needs. In addition, except for emergency ambulance service, the coverage and the provider network are limited to the Parkland Health & Hospital System, and by referral, UT Southwestern for specialty services.