Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have a question about ACHP that is not answered below? Please contact us at 202-785-2247 or at info@achp.org.

Q:        Who are Alliance of Community Health Plans members?

A:         ACHP members are among America's best at delivering affordable, high-quality coverage and care to their  communities, and they are committed to improving coverage and care at the plan level and nationally. Our members hail from across America and are national leaders in areas such as quality measurement and transparency (public reporting), pay for performance, electronic medical records, preventive care, disease management and chronic care coordination. They also meet the criteria explained in the Membership section of our website. We are proud that our members have served Medicare beneficiaries for years. Today, our members offer comprehensive Medicare Advantage plans that combine an affordable prescription drug benefit with other valuable services.

Q:        How can my organization become an ACHP member?

A:         Membership in ACHP is typically by invitation. However, interested not-for-profit or provider led organizations may be considered if they meet certain criteria.

Q:         What benefits/services will I receive as an ACHP member?

A:         Above all else, membership in ACHP is an opportunity to shape the future of health care within your own organization and community and nationally. Detailed information about the benefits of membership is available here.

Q:        How is your organization different than other health plan associations?  

A:         ACHP does not operate along the lines of a traditional membership-based trade association. Our members, our approach and our value differentiate us from other health plan groups. One significant advantage of ACHP membership: all of our meetings are 100 percent vendor-free to encourage honest discussion and learning. Another advantage: we work with a limited number of organizations so we can provide the attention and a high level of personalized service that other health plan associations cannot deliver. Learn more about how we are different than other health plan organizations.

Q:        Do you work with members on an individual basis in addition to organizing programs for everyone?

A:         Unlike larger health care associations that do not have the time or the resources to work with their members on an individual basis, ACHP offers a number of personalized services that are included in the cost of membership. An area of particular strength is our ability to analyze and explain a health plan's performance on clinical and service indicators and help plans prioritize improvement opportunities. We also work with plans that have policy, operational and marketplace-related questions and invite our members to ask us questions in any area.

When we receive a new member query, we will investigate the issue, talk to other ACHP members and/or external contacts and deliver our findings over the phone or in a formal report. If a number of members are asking questions about the same issue, we will initiate an Innovation Summary and distribute our findings broadly among the membership. We also organize informal working groups of members with similar questions and work toward solutions.

Q:        How does our Washington, D.C. location bring added value to our members?

A:         ACHP is located in downtown Washington, D.C. to pursue a public policy program in support of better health care at the national level. Our strategic location gives us the advantage of being able to analyze the legislative and regulatory environment and discern how developments in this arena will impact our members operations. 

Q:        Can you explain your public policy agenda?

A:         ACHP members are among the best in the nation at providing quality, affordability and value to purchasers and members. Building on their proven experience in their communities, ACHP supports policies that promote better health and health care for all Americans. We are a leading voice on Capitol Hill and at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other agencies. Our highest policy priority is the adoption of a performance-based payment system in Medicare. We were also instrumental in promoting rigorous, comparable "apples-to-apples" quality reporting standards for all Medicare Advantage plans, including the new regional PPOs. More information about our public policy program is available here.

Q:         What is the cost of ACHP membership?

A:         Given the many benefits of ACHP membership, our all-inclusive pricing model offers exceptional value. Members pay one flat fee for unlimited access to ACHP programs and services throughout the year. New members are also entitled to a 50 percent discount on membership dues in their first year. Please contact Michelle McLean at 202-785-2247 or fill out the form on our website for questions regarding dues and additional information.

Q:        Does ACHP allow limited or partial levels of membership?

A:         All ACHP members are currently full members. This means they pay one flat membership fee per year based on their organizations' total enrollment, which gives them access to all ACHP programs and member services. Prospective members have the option of paying reduced fees for fewer programs and member services. Please contact Michelle McLean at 202-785-2247 for questions regarding dues and additional information.

Q:        How many people from my organization can participate in ACHP?

A:         The organizations that get the most out of ACHP membership are very active participants in our programming and also call on our experts to explore clinical, marketplace, operational or policy questions offline. Many of our programs explore broad themes or questions that interest many different types of health plan professionals. Other areas of our work are intended for specialized audiences. There is no limit to the number of health plan professionals from member organizations that can attend our programs and use our services. There are ample opportunities throughout the year for CEOs, COOs, generals counsel, medical directors, quality improvement staff, strategic planning staff, product development staff, policy or government affairs staff and communications and marketing staff to attend programs and engage our team of experts.

Q:        How do members' CEOs get involved with ACHP?

A:         The CEOs of ACHP member organizations play a vital role in the organization's governance and are active participants in our programming. Our CEOs (or their designees) attend four Board of Directors meetings each year, which are hosted by one of the member organizations. At each of these meetings, we reserve time for the hosting organization to discuss various innovations in coverage and care. For example, Kaiser Permanente Georgia recently walked the ACHP Board through its electronic medical record roll-out, as well as an innovative in-house educational initiative to prevent childhood diabetes. CEOs also attend ACHP's Board Symposium, an annual event for the Boards of our members organizations. In addition to the CEOs or their designees, our Board of Directors also includes four members of ACHP's Medical Directors Council --- the chair and vice-chair and two other elected members.

Q:         What type of events do you organize for your members?

A:         Our programs and services fall into four key areas: clinical innovations, marketplace innovations (including marketing and communications), analysis and public policy. Many of our events and activities cover more than one area and are of interest to a variety of different health plan staff members. One of the best ways to learn about recent ACHP programming is to consult the frequently updated calendar of events on our Web site, www.achp.org. Upcoming events are also posted directly on the homepage. As a visitor, you'll be able to see summaries of our programs. ACHP members receive unlimited access to program materials, including recordings of Web conferences, meeting summaries, presentations and many more resources from our library.

Q:        Can other health care industry organizations, such pharmaceutical companies, join ACHP or sponsor ACHP events?

A:         No. ACHP membership is limited to a select group of high-performing, not-for-profit or provider-led health plans and provider organizations. More information about membership criteria is available here, and a list of current ACHP members is available here. Every ACHP event is purposefully vendor-free to encourage honest discussion and learning.