Clear Choice Health Plans will start offering individual health plans to meet a growing need in health insurance coverage.

The company, which started in Bend 11 years ago to manage the Oregon Health Plan, has expanded its products in recent years to include Medicare, large and small group health plans and, as of Aug. 15, several plans that will cater to individuals.

Within Clear Choice’s new line of products is a plan geared toward early retirees who don’t yet qualify for Medicare, but want some individual coverage. That plan includes a health savings account option that allows members to create a tax-deductible savings account for medical expenses. The plans have higher deductibles ranging from $1,500 to $5,000, and they have monthly premiums ranging from about $66 to $690, depending on age.

The company is also offering plans for families that range from $500 to $2,500 deductibles and have monthly premiums ranging from about $230 to abut $870.

”A lot of families aren’t covered through the employer or the family plan is too expensive,” said Cynthia Kane, chief operating officer of Clear Choice. ”People who have children, they take their kids to the doctor more. This plan includes well-baby benefits and well-child benefits.”

Kane said along with early retirees and families, Clear Choice is also targeting individuals in their 20s and 30s who don’t have any type of health insurance coverage. Under the new products, those people can receive catastrophic coverage for a starting price of about $39 a month up to about $140 a month depending on age.

Catastrophic coverage is a health insurance plan with a fairly low monthly premium and high deductible that covers large medical expenses like cancer care or emergency surgery, but not regular doctor office visits.

”People are so active here. If they are trail riding or skiing they should have some sort of catastrophic coverage,” Kane said. ”Accidents, they just happen. They happen to strong athletes … They break some bones, have some serious injuries and coverage is important.”

While Maribeth Healey, executive director of the advocacy group Oregonians for Health Security, agreed that any type of health insurance is important, she said her organization would rather see people sign up for more comprehensive plans that allow for routine check-ups and preventative care.

”We worry a lot about the primary care aspects,” she said. ”We want to make sure people are getting that primary care so the catastrophic coverage isn’t necessary.”

But, she said, choices in health insurance are always important.

”Clearly young people are the risk takers. It’s not like they are getting offered health insurance and are declining it. More and more employers are not offering health insurance and that’s a real problem,” Healey said. ”That all goes back to the whole cost question and issue around high cost of health care.”

Kane said Clear Choice has been steadily expanding its product line over the past few years and felt that offering individual plans was the next logical step.

”It’s important to us to have a full complement of health insurance options out there,” Kane said. ”We have insurance for small and large employers and Medicare members. We didn’t have a product for the individual who didn’t fit into those categories. There are a lot of people who are not getting insurance through an employer.”

About 8 percent of insured Oregonians have individual plans, Healey said.

”It is higher than it used to be,” Healey said. ”It’s the only option that is really open to (small business owners.) Because they are so small they can’t get into the group market.”

Several insurance providers in Central Oregon already offer individual plans including Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon and Lifewise Health Plans of Oregon.

Deana Strunk, a spokeswoman for Lifewise said the individual plans make up about a third of the company’s membership.