Medicare Advantage Benefits Leave Hearing Care Out of Reach for Many
Lower-income Medicare Advantage beneficiaries struggle more with affording hearing services despite enrolling in plans that cover them, per a new study.
Lower-income Medicare Advantage beneficiaries struggle more with affording hearing services despite enrolling in plans that cover them, per a new study.
In a press release from UnitedHealthcare announcing the details of its 2022 Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans, the healthcare company stated the following with regard to hearing coverage under the plan:
Managed care is substantially growing in depth and breadth every year. Telehealth, OTC, the current pandemic, and other factors significantly impact the modern hearing care office in tandem with managed care. Therefore, as we evaluate, select and participate in managed care, we must seek and select the opportunities which best meet the goals and needs of the modern hearing care office.
NationsHearing, LLC, a hearing aid and services benefit, announced that the company has completed a redesign and rebrand to NationsBenefits.
Read MoreIn 2020, there will be an increase of 414 plans for consumers to choose from, an average of 28 plans to choose from for the average consumer. The number of Special Needs Plans will increase from 717 to 855 from 2019-2020.
Read MoreMany Medicare Advantage plans include benefits for services that Medicare doesn’t cover, including eye exams, preventive dental care, and hearing coverage.
Read MoreUnitedHealthcare Hearing brings together EPIC Hearing Healthcare, a provider of hearing health benefits, and hi HealthInnovations, a home-delivery hearing healthcare company.
Read MoreAccording to the report, the newest version of the Apple Watch—which retails for $399—includes features like fall detection and an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor which can help detect irregular heart rhythm. Insurers are looking to subsidize the cost—which may be unaffordable for some senior Medicare patients—as a preventative strategy to detect potentially expensive health problems before they worsen.
Read MoreCompared to the patients without hearing loss, patients with the condition generated nearly 26% more in total health care costs within two years, a gap that widened to 46% by 10 years, amounting to $22,434 per individual ($20,403 incurred by the health plan, $2,030 by the individual in out-of-pocket costs).
Read MoreIn the new paper in “JAMA Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery,” a team from the University of Michigan analyzed data from 1,336 adults ages 65 to 85 who reported severe hearing loss.
Read MoreThe hearing healthcare landscape is changing, but there are several ways to not only survive but thrive in this new age including Medicare Advantage programs and constantly improving direct-to-consumer hearing devices. Part 1 looks at practical pathways for shifting to a fee-for-service (unbundled) business model.
Read MoreManaged care continues to pose challenges and opportunities for hearing healthcare professionals. In 2017, the number of individual Medicare Advantage enrollees enrolled in a plan with a hearing aid benefit increased to 65% from only 47% in 2015. This article presents a perspective on the evolution of managed care and how dispensing professionals can evolve and adapt in these changing times.
Read MorePeople with Medicare may select these plans during the 2018 Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan Annual Enrollment Period, or AEP, which runs October 15 through December 7, 2017.
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