Dr. Rem Sprague came to Muskegon in 1981 as an internal medicine physician working through 1996 with a hospital physician’s network until he became chief medical officer of what was then Mercy Hospital.
As part of his new administrative leadership position, the hospital asked Rem to become involved in community affairs. He became involved with the formation of Access Health probably with a skeptical eye on what was created in 1999.
But it didn’t take Rem long to understand the health and community significance of the creation of Access Health, a tri-share health plan for low-income uninsured employees and their small business employers. He was the agency’s initial Vice President, a position he continues to serve in as Access Health celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Rem has come to appreciate what he calls the “secrete sauce” that has made Access Health successful and sustainable over the past quarter century. Not a traditional health insurance, the Access Health benefit plan is highly individualized and members receive education and support to improve their health behaviors, he said.
“Muskegon has had a culture to make Access Health successful,” Rem said. “We have trusting relationships and Access Health is trusted by our medical community. Healthcare providers have been receiving higher reimbursements than from government programs. Muskegon is the right community for this plan to work,”
Over the years, the improved health and support for the uninsured has been an economic benefit to Muskegon, he said.
“Good health is an economic driver and that has been building a thriving economy in Muskegon,” Rem said adding that continuing that benefit will need future public-private partnerships. Government support of a tri-share plan like Access Health can be a policy that both the conservative and progressive ends of the political spectrum could come to support, he said.