With Focus on Future, MA Plan Innovations Hold Promise for Aging in Place

Outside of serving seniors through a Special Needs Plan geared toward institutional/institutional equivalent enrollees, Medicare Advantage plans are not fundamentally designed to support seniors’ long-term care needs. But with their inherent focus on care coordination and recent innovations in nonmedical benefits that can support aging in place, MA plans are uniquely positioned to address gaps in the continuum between Medicare and Medicaid, which is the primary payer of long-term services and supports (LTSS).

Speaking during a prerecorded session of the upcoming Virtual Fifth National Medicare Advantage Summit, panelists agreed that while nonmedical benefits were initially perceived as marketing tools to differentiate plans from their competitors, there is great potential for them to serve enrollees in the long term. Participants in the panel discussion, “The Opportunity for Medicare Advantage Plans to Address Long-Term Care Needs,” which will be livestreamed and archived on July 10, discussed a variety of benefit innovations and the mounting evidence around their impact to costs, outcomes and quality of life.