Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicare Advantage Plans Expanding
Medicare Advantage insurers are pushing into new territories and introducing new benefits in 2021, as they try to attract more members in the rapidly growing, lucrative market. UnitedHealthcare on Thursday laid out plans to sell coverage in new areas, including four new states, marking its biggest geographic expansion in five years that enables it to reach an additional 3.2 million people eligible for Medicare. Cigna Corp. announced its largest expansion to date, which will see it enter 67 new counties. (Livingston, 10/1)
Humana is planning to expand its Medicare Advantage HMO plans into 125 new counties for 2021. The insurer also announced Thursday that it would launch PPO plans in 98 new counties. All told, Humana expects the new plan offerings to reach an more than 3 million additional MA beneficiaries in the coming plan year. (Minemyer, 10/1)
Walmart and insurtech company Clover Health have teamed up to offer Medicare Advantage plans to eligible seniors in Georgia for the upcoming year. The new plan called LiveHealthy: Clover Powered, Walmart Enhanced (PPO)Â will be available in eight counties, including Bartow, Bibb, Cherokee, Cobb, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding and Rockdale. (Hackett, 10/1)
Philadelphia-based health insurer Independence Blue Cross on Thursday announced three 2021 Medicare Advantage offerings as enrollment approaches for the upcoming year. The three plans — Keystone 65 Basic Rx HMO, Keystone 65 Focus Rx HMO-POS and Personal Choice 65SM Prime Rx PPO — are described as zero-premium offerings with COVID-19 coverage for testing and treatment. (Tanenbaum, 10/1)
About 1 in 3 people 65 and older in the United States enroll in Medicare Advantage, the private insurance alternative to traditional Medicare. It’s not hard to see why: Medicare Advantage plans often cover stuff that Medicare doesn’t, and most people don’t pay extra for it. But Medicare Advantage can be more expensive if you get sick because copays and other costs can be higher, says Katy Votava, president of Goodcare.com, a health care consultant. (10/2)
