Sanford Health Plan Approved to Provide Insurance in North Dakota

(Sioux Falls, SD & Fargo, ND) - People in North Dakota will soon have another health insurance option. The North Dakota Insurance Department announced this morning it has given Sanford Health Plan a certificate of authority to provide health insurance in the state. Local, independent agents will offer Sanford Health Plan to the community once the state of North Dakota approves rates and forms for each product line.

"Sanford Health Plan looks forward to this new and long-term relationship with the people and businesses of North Dakota," said Ruth Krystopolski, President of Sanford Health Plan. "We are committed to partnerships that maintain affordable premiums for clients and their employees. We also understand the need to deliver the best patient care while promoting good community health and maintaining cost-effective solutions."

Established in 1998 as a physician-directed health plan, Sanford Health Plan is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sanford Health. The non-profit entity currently covers more than 64,000 lives and serves South Dakota, northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota.

Sanford Health Plan products currently offered include:

• Commercial Benefit Plans
  • Small & Large Group Insurance
  • FEHB Program (Federal Employees) offered in South Dakota and Iowa
  • Consumer Driven Health Plans, Health Savings Accounts & Health Reimbursement Accounts
  • Flexible Benefit Account
• Third Party Administration Services (TPA)
• Individual Products
  • Medicare Supplement and Medicare SELECT
  • Elite1 Individual insurance for self-employed individuals, college students, farmers and small business owners.

For more information about Sanford Health Plan, visit www.sanfordhealthplan.com.

About Sanford Health & MeritCare
Sanford Health & MeritCare consists of two long-standing health systems in the Dakotas who merged in 2009; Sanford Health based in Sioux Falls, SD and MeritCare based in Fargo, ND. The largest rural not-for-profit healthcare system in the nation, Sanford Health & MeritCare serves six states (North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma). It includes 30 hospitals with a total of 1,600 beds, as well as more than 800 physicians in numerous clinics in more than 70 specialty areas of medicine. With 17,400 employees, Sanford Health & MeritCare is the largest employer in North and South Dakota. For more information, visit www.sanfordmeritcare.com.

Information for the Media

A representative with Sanford Health Plan will be available today for individual media interviews from noon-2 p.m at MeritCare. Please call MeritCare Marketing Services at (701) 234-2000 and ask for pager 1715 by 11 a.m. to arrange an interview. Time slots are first come, first serve.