By Joseph Dita
South Bend Tribune
MISHAWAKA — The appeal is obvious: Patients don’t pay anything inside of this clinic, from the commonly used pharmaceuticals that it will stock to immunizations to health coaching.
But this city-sponsored clinic isn’t for the public. It’s for the city’s staff, retirees and immediate family members. Geoff Spiess already counts on making it the primary care provider for himself and his kids.
“Because it just adds up with the co-pays — nagging little things and sports physicals,” said Spiess, who’s involved with setting up the clinic as the city’s attorney and human resources director.
But the city is looking to drive down its costs even more by bringing in private employers as partners. The local Teamsters union has signed on as a partner that would share in the clinic’s membership fees, and B&B Molders, a Mishawaka company with about 100 employees, agreed to join on Wednesday. More are expected soon, said Bob Zavacky with Gibson Insurance, which is the broker for the city’s health insurance.
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