FREE: One Indiana Company decides to offer health care benefits - at a bargain price.

March 2007

Most people don’t look to Spiceland, Indiana for much innovation.

It is, after all, a pretty typical Hoosier town nestled in a quiet patch of southern Henry County just south of I-70.

Regardless, the owners of Draper, Inc. at Spiceland have come up with an idea that is making some headlines.

The company has decided to open its own on-site health care clinic, and provide basic health care services to its 500 employees at a bargain price — free.

The company has contracted with Henry County Hospital at New Castle, Ind. to open a primary care clinic at the company for employees and their families. Services include anything a healthy or sick person would see a primary care physician for, including wellbaby checkups, immunizations and annual physicals.

In addition, the company has set up an on-site pharmacy that dispenses about 75 generic drugs for free. The pharmacy stocks no controlled substances.

Cost savings for the company are expected to be little in the first year, but the company hopes to cut its health care costs by 10 percent in subsequent years.

The clinic, open 24-hours a day, is booked solid and includes programs to help members quit smoking, lose weight or manage their blood pressure or other chronic diseases.

Company officials said about 60 percent of health care claims by Draper employees were less than $750 a year, and were for services they can now obtain for free at the clinic.

While many companies offer a nurse or other health care services around occupational health needs (when an injury or illness occurs at work), the idea of a company-based clinic is an older idea not seen in recent years.