Alamo Iron Works Employees Mutual Aid Association Health Insurance Company

Alamo Iron Works is a San Antonio-based manufacturer and distributor of iron products for industrial purposes. In early 2007 the company filed for bankruptcy and was very near closing its doors before it was acquired by Industrial Distribution Group (IDG) of Charlotte, North Carolina. IDG’s acquisition saved the 135-year-old company by shifting quite a bit of its own business from North Carolina to the Texas location.

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At one time Alamo Iron Works provided health insurance to its employees through the Alamo Iron Works Employees Mutual Aid Association. By definition, a mutual aid association is simply a group of individuals organized through a common trade, social organization, or other group, that pools their financial resources in order to provide “collective” insurance products and financial services.

In the case of Alamo Iron Works, the company was essentially self-insured through the Alamo Iron Works Employees Mutual Aid Association. Information about the Association is virtually nonexistent so it is assumed it was disbanded when Alamo was acquired by IDG.

Alamo Iron Works Employees Mutual Aid Association Locations

No address or telephone number could be found for the Alamo Iron Works Employees Mutual Aid Association. However, we have located contact information for both Alamo Ironworks and International Distribution Group. Contact information is as follows:

Alamo Iron Works
943 AT&T Center Parkway
San Antonio, TX 78219
(210) 223-6161

Industrial Distribution Group
2100 The Oaks Parkway
Belmont, NC 28012
Phone: 800-476-3555
Fax: 704-398-5610
e-mail: [email protected]

Alamo Iron Works Employees Mutual Aid Association Claims

Although we can’t prove it definitively, more likely than not the insurance program provided by the Alamo Iron Works group was probably based on a third-party payer model. With a third-party payer, claims are submitted by the customer to the insurance carrier for reimbursement. The customer has already paid the doctor or medical institution, or has made other arrangements as necessary, and will be repaid by the insurance company itself. Under a third-party payer system, doctor and insurance carrier rarely interact.

We make this assumption based on the fact that mutual aid associations rarely negotiate contracts with large numbers of medical care providers. A company as small as Alamo Iron Works has less bargaining power than a larger company. While it still possible that the employees’ mutual aid association provided insurance similar to the more traditional model, it is unlikely.

Alamo Iron Works Employees Mutual Aid Association Agents

Because the association was limited to Alamo Iron Works and their families, there was no need for multiple offices and independent agents. Everything was most likely handled out of the company’s HR department. Perhaps there was a specialist or two whose entire job was to administer the association’s funds, but it was probably not a separate entity unto itself. Of course, none of this can be verified completely without speaking to representatives of the company.

Alamo Iron Works Employees Mutual Aid Association Products

More often than not mutual aid associations offer more than just health insurance. Many of them also offer life insurance, dental insurance, supplemental coverage, and even umbrella coverage. Some mutual aid associations push even farther by providing their employees an in-house bank that can handle regular deposits, credit cards, and various types of loans. Because there is no information to be found regarding the Alamo Iron Works Employees Mutual Aid Association, there is no way to know for sure what the Association provided.

Assuming the Alamo Iron Works Employees Mutual Aid Association did provide all of these different types of insurances, they would have done so as a nonprofit organization. In fact, we know this particular Association was indeed a nonprofit organization from reports in several newspapers a few years ago. From those reports it was clear that the Association was being awarded as an outstanding nonprofit organization in meeting its goals and objectives.

Alamo Iron Works Employees Mutual Aid Association Careers

Because it is unlikely that the Alamo Iron Works Employees Mutual Aid Association still exists, it would be foolish for us to assume there are any job openings at this time. Even at Alamo Iron Works itself, there may not be job openings. However, IDG does have dozens of open positions listed on its corporate website. Simply log on, follow the “careers” link, and browse the job postings that are appealing to you. On the careers page, the company provides a fill-in form with the ability to attach a resume and cover letter.

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