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The Alliance

Public facts

Midwest employer-owned cooperative network

Not-for-profit, employer-owned Midwest cooperative that contracts Smarter Networks and Reference-based Contracting for self-funded employers.

Visit the-alliance.org

Overview

The Alliance is a not-for-profit cooperative founded in 1990 by seven Madison-area employers. It is owned by self-funded employers across the Midwest and contracts directly with providers. Public products include custom Smarter Networks℠, Premier (tiered) networks, a Comprehensive Network, Reference-based Contracting®, bundled payments, inflation protection, pay-for-performance contracts, and usage-based fees. A January 2026 sales booklet publishes a $10 membership share, $10 per-employee capital stock, an $8 PEPM access fee, and 1.9% retainage on claims savings. Find a Doctor includes cost and safety comparisons for more than 70 procedures.

Why it matters The Alliance is a true employer-owned contracting cooperative with published PEPM and retainage—not a national rental PPO or a silent wrap.

Target buyer
Midwest self-funded employers, Taft-Hartley trusts, municipalities, and school districts, typically through a broker and TPA.
Pricing model
Cooperative equity plus $8 PEPM access fee and 1.9% retainage on savings
January 2026 sales booklet: $10 one-time membership stock (one vote); $10 one-time capital stock per enrolled employee; $8 PEPM access fee; 1.9% retainage on claims savings (example: $100 claim, 39.7% savings → $0.75 retainage). Patronage checks share a portion of cooperative profit based on network use.
Availability
WI, IL, IA, MN, MI
Research
Last researched 2026-08-23
Public facts category

Key features

  • Employer-owned not-for-profit cooperative with patronage checks
  • Custom Smarter Networks and Premier tiered networks
  • Reference-based Contracting by The Alliance
  • Bundled payments, inflation protection, pay-for-performance, usage-based fees
  • Find a Doctor with cost/safety comparisons for 70+ procedures
  • Smarter Health analytics for utilization and product benchmarking
  • WPS Statewide and First Health national wrap options (sales booklet)
  • Published access fee and retainage in the 2026 sales booklet

Integrations

  • Client TPA (Alliance is the network, not the claims payer)
  • WPS Health Insurance self-funded group plans (named wrap pairing)
  • First Health National Network Wrap for travel outside the service area
  • National CooperativeRx (PBM partner discounts for members)
  • Delta Dental / DeltaVision administrative discounts for members

Overview

The Alliance helps self-funded employers design custom provider networks (Smarter Networks℠) by contracting directly with Midwest doctors and facilities. It is client-owned and led; the site and 2026 sales booklet stress that financial resources go to employer value rather than outside shareholders. Eligible joiners include businesses, unions, Taft-Hartley trusts, municipalities, and school districts. Clients with a potential conflict of interest may be ineligible for board service.

The Comprehensive Network is mapped across Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan in the sales booklet. Premier Networks add tiers (Preferred-Value Providers, Premier Ruby or Emerald, the rest of the Comprehensive Network, then OON). WPS Statewide covers travel in Wisconsin outside The Alliance service area; First Health is the named national wrap.

President and CEO (booklet): Curt Kubiak, joined 2024. Main contact listed: 800.223.4139, info@the-alliance.org.

Key Capabilities

  • Direct provider contracting and custom network design.
  • Reference-based Contracting®, bundled payments, preferred pricing, inflation protection, pay-for-performance, usage-based fees.
  • Find a Doctor with cost and safety comparisons for more than 70 procedures.
  • Data mining / Smarter Health analysis: spend, ROI, utilization, product benchmarking, custom analysis.
  • Educational meetings, webinars, and employer networking.
  • Patronage: a share of cooperative profit based on how much the employer uses the network.

Integrations & Ecosystem

The Alliance is a network cooperative. Claims still run through the employer’s TPA. Named booklet partners: WPS (statewide wrap), First Health (national wrap), National CooperativeRx (PBM; 50% reduced enrollment fees for Alliance members), and Delta Dental (7% administrative-fee discount; 155,000+ dentists nationwide).

Pricing

Unlike most network vendors, The Alliance publishes a fee schedule in its January 2026 sales booklet:

  • $10 one-time membership stock (one vote).
  • $10 one-time capital equity stock per employee enrolled.
  • $8 PEPM access fee.
  • 1.9% retainage on claims savings, invoiced monthly to the client or TPA—not taken during repricing.

Notes & Limitations

  • Core contracted network is Midwest, not a 50-state primary PPO. National access is via the First Health wrap (and WPS in Wisconsin).
  • states_available lists states shown in the Comprehensive Network maps; it is not a guarantee of a provider in every county.
  • Retainage example math in the booklet is illustrative.

Sources

Tags: cooperative · Midwest · Smarter Networks · reference-based contracting · self-funded