MEDICARE PLANS OFFER INCENTIVES
Many Medicare plans are offering incentives, to keep members healthy
The Medicare open enrollment period is well underway, but it is not too late for those eligible to sign up and become involved in the significant health and wellness programs offered to seniors and those younger with certain disabilities.
“It is definitely important as we look at our extra health and wellness benefits to help promote our members’ health and well-being,” said Janice Torrez, vice president of external affairs at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico.
And that can be something as seemingly easy as going to visit a doctor on a consistent basis.
“One of the things we find that is very important is we want our members to seek medical care when they need it,” she said. “We have zero-pay premiums and zero-co-pay programs under Medicare Advantage where members can see their doctors without a co-pay.”
The Medicare enrollment and re-enrollment deadline is Dec. 7 and the best place to get information is medicare. gov or cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare.html.
The good news for Medicare enrollees is the monthly premium for Advantage plans is expected to decrease 14% to about $23 in 2020 from an average of $26.87 in 2019, according to a news release from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services.
Additionally, beneficiaries will have more plan choices, with about 1,200 more Medicare Advantage plans operating in 2020 than in 2018.
Another important website to keep handy is medicare.gov/plancompare/#/?lang=en. It allows prospective Medicare enrollees to specifically compare different providers.
Providing incentives to get healthy or remain healthy are a big part of many of the plans.
For instance, UnitedHealthcare’s 2020 Medicare Advantage plans offer programs that help people stay active, improve health and navigate complex care needs — often for no additional outof-pocket cost.
Plans offer benefits, programs and resources that can support people in their efforts to live a healthy life, like free gym memberships, according to George Young, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement in New Mexico.
Members also can earn rewards in the form of gift cards by completing qualifying health care activities such as an annual wellness visit or preventive screening. Eligible members can also earn rewards by tracking activity-based data (steps and/or sleep).
Blue Cross/Blue Cross Medicare members can earn gift cards for retailers
by actively taking care of their health, Torrez said.
“We have a rewards and incentive program that’s a really good way of helping our members monitor their health,” she said. “It’s an easy way to earn up to $100 in gift cards at national local retailers. We encourage our members to visit their doctor at least once a year. And to do things that will reward them with a gift card. Things like getting an annual flu shot, doing screenings or colon assessments or anything that will help monitor your health and wellness.”
It’s a program Blue Cross/Blue Shield enacted several years ago “and the seniors just love the rewards. And they look for those activities where they can earn rewards.”
Accessing health care can often be a challenge as people age, so making that an easier task is an incentive many plans are starting to offer.
United Healthcare House Calls is a yearly health and wellness visit for people enrolled in qualified Medicare Advantage plans that happens in the privacy and convenience of their home. This means no driving to an appointment and no sitting in a waiting room, thus making it simple to get access to additional preventive care.
Blue Cross/Blue Shield offers transportation credits for members to encourage them to see their doctors, Torrez said.
“We have a transportation benefit with 12 one-way trips,” she said. “We want members to take advantage of them. Sometimes a family member can take them to the doctor’s appointment but can’t wait with them to take them back home. It’s very popular with our members.”
Offering easy-access services to purchase such health-related items as toothbrushes, toothpaste and vitamins through mail order at reduced rates, delivered to their doors, also is a popular incentive programs are starting to offer.
The whole key, Torrez said, is early detection and prevention.
“We want to make sure that our seniors stay healthy,” she said.
That is the goal with Medicare, Young added.
“We’re helping people maintain and improve their well-being by providing resources, support and motivation to stay engaged in their health,” he said.