MAOs Appeal to Seniors’ Home Needs With 2021 Benefits

Oct 15
Oct 15, 2020

Major geographic expansions, increased interest in Special Needs Plans (SNPs), and $0 telehealth visits and other benefits aimed at keeping seniors healthy at home are just a few of the 2021 Medicare Advantage trends that can be gleaned from recent press releases and CMS’s so-called landscape files. And while many plans already offered at-home benefits and other extras to address social determinants of health (SDOH), they appear to be emphasizing the usefulness of such tools as the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, especially for dual-eligible enrollees.

Based on an AIS Health review of available press releases, here are some of the noteworthy changes:

For all MA Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plan members, Humana Inc. said its 2021 benefits will include $0 telehealth copays for primary care physician (PCP) visits, urgent care, and outpatient behavioral health, $0 copays for COVID-19 testing, and a Health Essentials Kit featuring “useful items for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses like the flu.” For MA-PD members with a COVID diagnosis, there is a $0 copay for treatment and 14 days of home-delivered meals (up to 28 meals).
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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.