Connecting with Medicare Beneficiaries to Lessen Social Isolation
Health plan social connectedness programs that include clinical, proactive interventions should be considered an integral part of a whole-health approach. Data from Elevance Health’s Member Connect program illustrate their potential to improve well-being among older adults at risk of social isolation, loneliness, and other mental health concerns.
Social isolation and loneliness take a toll on physical and mental health, leading to poorer health outcomes, higher rates of premature mortality, and higher healthcare costs. Older adults are at higher risk for social isolation and loneliness due to changes in health and social connections that can come with growing older, hearing, vision, and memory loss, disability, trouble getting around, and/or the loss of family and friends.
Elevance Health’s Member Connect program encourages individuals to re-engage with healthcare, connect with community-based organizations, and increase physical activity. Participants showed improved well-being as measured by multiple survey instruments, suggesting positive program impact.
Related Public Policy Research
Understanding the Medicare Advantage Program
Medicare Advantage (MA) plans provide enrollees a valuable alternative to Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) by offering out-of-pocket cost protections, additional benefits, and innovative strategies for care management and coordination.
Medicare Advantage (MA) plans offer additional benefits not covered by traditional Medicare known as supplemental benefits. This paper examines the use of supplemental benefits overall and by demographic characteristics of MA members, demonstrating that supplemental benefits can address health-related social needs.
Managed Care Models Improve Outcomes for Beneficiaries Who Are Partially Dual Eligible
Individuals who are eligible for partial dual status experience complex social and medical needs and could benefit from managed care or a tailored health plan, such as Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs). This paper demonstrates that managed care has positive effects on health care utilization, including higher rates of primary care visits and lower rates of inpatient hospitalizations, readmissions, and skilled nursing facility stays, as compared to Traditional Medicare.
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