AAPI-Focused Plans Tap In-Language Providers, Messaging to Attract Seniors

  • Nov 21, 2024

    As Medicare Advantage insurers attempt to differentiate themselves in competitive markets, plans have been springing up that specifically cater to the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) population, which has a large presence on the West Coast. During a recent Johns Hopkins University webinar, speakers discussed these as part of a growing group of “tailored plans,” which aim to serve specific populations such as racial minorities and the LGBTQ+ community. According to executives at two such plans, Medicare-eligible AAPI beneficiaries may have more linguistic customer service needs and preferences for culturally appropriate benefits and providers than traditional MA plans are used to providing.

    Mark Meiselbach, Ph.D., a health economist and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins, says he and his colleagues have identified 61 tailored MA health plans serving about 46,000 total enrollees. Those are primarily targeting AAPI beneficiaries, and the vast majority are HMOs. Enrollment in such plans is “still fairly limited but rapidly growing,” observed Meiselbach during the webinar.

    Read more
    © 2024 MMIT
  • Lauren Flynn Kelly

    Lauren has been covering health business issues since the early 2000s and specializes in in-depth reporting on Medicare Advantage, managed Medicaid and Medicare Part D. She also possesses a deep understanding of the complex world of pharmacy benefit management, having written AIS Health’s Radar on Drug Benefits from 2004 to 2005 and again from 2011 to 2016. In addition to her role as managing editor of Radar on Medicare Advantage, she oversees AIS Health’s publications and manages the health editorial staff. She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in English.

The Latest
Meet Our Reporters

Meet Our Reporters

×