MaineHealth, Anthem launch Medicare health plans
Courtesy / Maine Medical Center
Maine Medical Center in Portland is one of nearly 100 health care providers that will receive funding under the CARES Act.
Six weeks after announcing they had formed a joint venture to provide health coverage for seniors, MaineHealth and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield have introduced their first insurance plans.
The state’s largest largest health system and largest health insurer have launched two Medicare Advantage plans for 2020 under the Anthem | MaineHealth brand, according to a news release Tuesday.
Anthem | MaineHealth Advantage Choice provides coverage through a health maintenance organization, while covering services outside of the HMO network at a higher out-of-pocket cost. Anthem | MaineHealth Advantage Dual is plan for certain seniors who qualify for both Medicare benefits and coverage under the state’s Medicaid program, MaineCare.
Medicare is the federal health benefit program for people over age 65 or who are disabled. Medicare Advantage is a spin-off in which private health plans contract to provide hospital care, physician services and prescription drug coverage at reduced costs.
Often, Medicare Advantage plans provide other services too.
In addition to basic coverage, the Anthem | MaineHealth plans each offer a package of 10 wellness services, including nutrition support and counseling, health-related transportation, and acupuncture and therapeutic massage. Members can obtain coverage for any one of the services at no extra cost.
The options even include a $500 annual allowance to care for a member’s service dog, and quarterly pest-control treatments for a member’s home.
“When we looked at the underlying medical, behavioral, and environmental obstacles consumers often face, we designed a menu of wellness services that can help people lead healthier lives,” Betsy Johnson, a board member for the Anthem | MaineHealth joint venture, said in the release.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, part of Anthem Inc. (NYSE: ANTM), has long offered Medicare Advantage plans in Maine, but the new ones are the first it’s offered in combination with a health care provider.
The only other provider-sponsored Medicare Advantage plans in Maine are the Generations Advantage plans written by Portland-based Martin’s Point Health Care, which also operates a half dozen primary care centers in the state.
On Tuesday, Martin’s Point announced it would offer six Medicare Advantage plans for 2020. Details are available here.
The annual enrollment period for all Medicare Advantage plans runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.
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