(BPT) – The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period is here — and it’s important to make sure you have the healthcare coverage you need for the year ahead. It’s also important to understand that not all Medicare health plans are the same. Some offer benefits that can help with the everyday challenges of healthy living — benefits that aren’t offered by others.
Medicare Advantage, or Medicare Part C, are Medicare plans that can be purchased through private health insurers. Medicare Advantage plans include all the benefits of the Original Medicare program offered through the federal government, but also provide additional benefits to members that are not offered by Original Medicare.
This year’s deadline to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan for 2021 is December 7, 2020.
The wellness benefits that make a difference
One of the most important differences between Medicare Advantage and Original Medicare is that many Medicare Advantage plans include prescription drug coverage, also known as Medicare Part D. Medicare Advantage plans also have annual limits on out-of-pocket costs, while Original Medicare does not have these caps.
Many Medicare Advantage plans offer additional benefits not available with Original Medicare that help with day-to-day needs that aren’t strictly medical but can still have a profound effect on health. There’s more to health than getting sick or hurt and needing treatment. Social and economic factors like the ways we live, the things we eat, and the environments that surround us are all a part of “whole health.”
That’s why California’s Anthem Blue Cross makes these types of wellness benefits available in many of their 2021 Medicare Advantage plans. Californians who enroll in these plans through Anthem Blue Cross have access to seven whole health benefits at no additional cost. These benefits support the whole health of customers in several key areas such as food and nutrition, as well as personal home helper support.
The Medicare Advantage plans can also help members stay healthy with access to exercise programs and healthy meal deliveries to help manage a chronic condition. Beyond nutrition and fitness, these wellness benefits address whole health by improving access to care with transportation to health appointments and in-home personal aides.
“Healthy living is a choice we have to make every day,” says Martin Esquivel, Vice President of Medicare Product Management at Anthem Blue Cross. “Help around the house, healthy food delivered to your door, health-related transportation assistance, and other similar benefits can help address the ‘social determinants’ of health and support living a healthier life.”
To learn more about Anthem Blue Cross’ Medicare Advantage plans, visit shop.anthem.com/medicare.
Anthem Blue Cross, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Association, is a Medicare Advantage plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Anthem Blue Cross depends on contract renewal. Anthem Blue Cross is also an HMO DSNP plan, HMO CSNP plan, HMO ISNP, and LPPO CSNP and a contract with the California Medicaid program.
About Anthem Blue Cross
Anthem Blue Cross is the trade name of Blue Cross of California. Anthem Blue Cross and Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company are independent licensees of the Blue Cross Association. ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross name and symbol are registered marks of the Blue Cross Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company is available at www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/anthemBlueCross and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AnthemBlueCrossCA.