HOUSTON -- A Houston-area hospital chain is offering health insurance to patients, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday.

Jeronimo Solis, 30, was recently laid off from a small company that did not offer health insurance.

Solis relies on county health clinics -- something he hopes to change because of his high cholesterol.

"I pay a lot of money for medicine. They say it's expensive medicine. That's why I'm trying to get health insurance," he said.

Solis is like many in Houston who are uninsured.

"Greater than 30 percent are uninsured. I think we are filling a niche that has been absent in this community," said Melissa Paschal, CEO of MHealth.

A new health insurance plan is being offered by Memorial Hermann Health Care System. It provides individuals, families and businesses health coverage, including treatment at 11 of Memorial Hermann's hospitals and a network of thousands of Memorial Hermann doctors.

Paschal said this rare collaborative approach to health coverage is cost-effective in part by eliminating unnecessary procedures.

"We're ensuring we're doing the appropriate testing, we're not duplicating testing or our efforts," she said.

The plan's options cover everything from wellness visits to catastrophic care.

About 1,000 individuals and small businesses have signed up since August.