The Pro Football Hall of Fame has teamed with a network of health systems, physician groups and providers to establish a healthcare initiative for former NFL players.
The program, branded Hall of Fame Health, aims to provide access to health plans with in-network availability to high-quality hospitals, physicians and orthopedic centers for former players, employees and their families.
"It's consistent with the hall's mission 'to honor the heroes of the game,'" Hall of Fame Health CEO Jeremy Hogue said in an Oct. 21 news release. "In the community of former football players, there is a need."
Mr. Hogue projected that 80 percent of the NFL's nearly 20,000 former players are not covered under employer-sponsored medical plans and must shop for coverage each year during the national open enrollment period, which begins Nov. 1 this year.
Vanderbilt Health in Nashville, Tenn., HCA Houston Healthcare and 11 other healthcare organizations are participating in the program.