MA Supplemental Benefits Address Gaps in Traditional Medicare

By Neil SteffensMedicare Advantage (MA), also known as Medicare Part C, is a managed care alternative to traditional Medicare coverage offered by health plans. In recent years, MA membership has grown substantially and MA plans have been permitted to add new benefits to better address members’ needs.In particular, changes in regulation and legislation have allowed MA health plans, like Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio, more flexibility in designing specially tailored benefits that support a person’s overall health and wellbeing. These supplemental benefits are unique to MA and can help address gaps in traditional Medicare. Supplemental benefits historically included “primarily health related” benefits like dental, vision, and hearing services and, more recently include services that support health-related needs such as help purchasing nutritious food and transportation to access plan benefits.According to the& National Academy of Medicine, what’s typically considered “medical care” only accounts for 10% to 20% of contributors to health outcomes. Other factors that have an impact on a person’s health include their access to grocery stores, relationships with friends and family, and home and workplace environments. These are known as social drivers of health, and they account for the remaining 80% to 90%.Thanks to the expansion...