Need Help Choosing a Medicare Advantage Plan? Ask Your Friends
LONG BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Medicare annual enrollment period comes to a close on December 7,
which means Medicare beneficiaries have just days remaining to make a
health plan selection for 2016. With so many options and a ticking
clock, seniors and others on Medicare can have a hard time making this
important decision.
“At this point in the season most people have reviewed various plans’
benefits, they know which plans include their doctors, and they’ve seen
the quality star ratings,” said Cathy Batteer, general manager at SCAN
Health Plan. “If you’ve done all of this research and still can’t
decide, talking to friends and family who are members of a plan is a
great way to learn if a particular plan is right for you.”
Batteer says that in selecting a health plan it is important for seniors
to weigh quantitative measures such as costs and plan benefits with the
overall experience each plan offers. Batteer recommends asking current
plan members some key questions:
-
How easy is it to get hold of a real customer service person at the
plan? “Automated systems are everywhere now, and they do serve a
purpose,” said Batteer. “But when it comes to questions about their
healthcare, people don’t want to push buttons. They want to connect
with someone.” -
Are the customer service representatives knowledgeable and helpful?
Healthcare can be complicated, so ongoing training is key to keeping
representatives up-to-speed on Medicare and plan benefits. -
Was there anything that surprised you or that you wish you knew before
you joined? “Many people focus on the monthly premium and doctor visit
copay when they make a plan decision. The questions typically come
once members start using the plan benefits for their specific
healthcare needs,” said Batteer, explaining why personal experience
can be so helpful to hear.
Research conducted by SCAN earlier this year revealed that less than 20
percent of seniors rely on recommendations from family and friends when
making this important decision. Slightly more depend on physician
recommendations, and about half turn to healthcare brokers for guidance.
“Third party sources and company literature are fine; but like any other
buying decision, nothing tops firsthand experience and testimony,”
Batteer says. “Plans should welcome this examination and invite this
kind of dialogue.”
The annual enrollment period for selecting a Medicare Advantage plan
runs from October 15 to December 7, 2015. During this time seniors and
others on Medicare may choose to switch their health plan or move from
traditional Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan (or move back to
Original Medicare) with their new elections taking effect January 1,
2016.
In 2016 SCAN will be available to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in 12
California counties: Los Angeles, Marin, Napa, Orange, Riverside, San
Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Sonoma
and Ventura. SCAN has earned a 4.5-star rating* in all of these counties.
SCAN is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage
plans, currently serving approximately 170,000 members. Further
information about SCAN may be obtained at scanhealthplan.com
or on Facebook at facebook.com/scanhealthplan.
SCAN Health Plan is an HMO plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in
SCAN Health Plan depends on contract renewal. *4.5-star rating applies
to all plans offered by SCAN Health Plan (HMO) in California except
Healthy At Home (HMO SNP) and VillageHealth (HMO SNP/HMO POS-SNP).
Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-star rating system. Star ratings
are calculated each year and may change from one year to the next.
Y0057_SCAN_9583_2015 IA 11302015
Contacts
for SCAN Health Plan
Ross Goldberg
818-597-8453, x-1
ross@kevinross.net
