This time last month, I covered the basics of Medicare health insurance in preparation for the beginning of the Annual Enrollment Period, which began on Friday and runs through Dec. 7.
The column detailed the difference between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans. Both cover routine care, hospitalization, skilled nursing care, hospice care and home health, but Medicare Advantage plans do so while also limiting out-of-pocket expenses and providing extra benefits like coverage for prescription drugs, dental visits, eyeglasses and eye exams, hearing aids, gym memberships and fitness classes.
Today, I’ll go through some of the types of programs that are available to Medicare Advantage plan members. Beyond coverage, cost, convenience and customer service, these are examples of benefits folks over 65 will want to consider when choosing the right plan for their needs.
Some plans include access to community programs designed to help people with chronic health conditions. Participants learn healthy eating habits, exercise routines, relaxation techniques, and how to set goals for improvement.
Patients living with diabetes can learn how to make healthy lifestyle changes to lower glucose and A1C levels, monitor and manage blood sugar and medications, and care for skin and feet. Preventing or delaying Type 2 diabetes is achievable with programs that promote increased physical activity and weight loss, and teach stress reduction and coping skills.
There are sessions for older adults who want to walk more, improve their balance, or quit smoking, all of which promote better quality of life.
Social isolation is a problem for people 65 and older, and many community outreach programs associated with Medicare Advantage plans are designed to bring people together, whether they’re gathering for fun activities or educational seminars that showcase evidence-based health and wellness.
Fitness classes, recipes and cooking tips, and senior-focused publications that spotlight lifestyle topics and people are all among the extras that could come with the right plan.
There are even resources designed to connect people with free or reduced-cost services, like food, housing, childcare, transportation, utility assistance, education, health care, legal services and financial assistance.
Medicare Advantage plans that are part of a payer-provider model, where a health system offers both care and coverage, might offer access to specialized programs designed for the Medicare population.
This type of benefit could vary from system to system, but at Geisinger, a prime example is the 65 Forward model of primary care.
65 Forward Health Centers are designed exclusively for patients 65 and older and offer same-day appointments and longer visits with primary care physicians as well as exercise classes, social and education activities, and personalized wellness plans all under one roof.
Believe it or not, I’ve only scratched the surface here. There are many more advantages to choosing a Medicare Advantage plan, and I don’t have enough column space to list them.
But finding the right plan for you takes research and consideration. You’ll have to select a plan that has absolutely everything you need for not only your routine care, prescriptions, and management of chronic conditions but also your lifestyle preferences and maybe even your social life.
You can investigate Medicare Advantage plans through the state’s insurance marketplace, but if you’re looking at providers and plans in our region, you can also get great information or review your options with an expert at Geisinger.org/enroll or by calling 855-904-0153.