With the caregiver shortage at an all-time high and Medicare Advantage (MA) opportunities expanding like never before, the Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) has been busy. Currently, the trade association — which represents the home care industry in state and federal advocacy efforts — is busy with policy initiatives to bring more workers to […]
Category: Medicare Advantage
While the number of home health workers per capita available to seniors in the U.S. is increasing, those employees are seeing a population with more behavioral health challenges than they have in years past. Those are just a few select findings from the American Health Rankings 2019 Senior Report from the United Health Foundation, a […]
Individuals who jump ship from traditional Medicare to Medicare Advantage (MA) typically spend less on health care in the year prior to their switch, a new issues brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation suggests. This may mean those enrolled in MA plans are healthier than their Medicare peers — and less in need of the […]
While personal care is the smallest segment in Amedisys Inc.’s (Nasdaq: AMED) portfolio of service offerings, the home-based care powerhouse has lofty goals to expand its personal care services into as many as 47 additional states in the years to come. Medicare Advantage is serving as a catalyst for the growth. That’s according to comments […]
Top executives from Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) on Wednesday got candid about their home health operations and the expected impact of the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM). In addition to its long-standing Humana At Home business, the Louisville, Kentucky-based insurance company owns a 40% stake in Kindred at Home, one of the largest home health providers […]
By 2029, nearly 8 million middle-income older Americans won’t be able to afford senior housing at today’s average market rates, new research shows. While the statistics have negative implications for the senior housing industry, they create opportunities for home-based care providers, whose services are often the least expensive option for seniors. The findings come from […]
An initiative by Humana (NYSE: HUM) that addresses social determinants of health posted positive results in five of seven target communities in 2018. On average, Humana Medicare Advantage (MA) members in participating communities saw a 2.7% reduction in “unhealthy days” experienced in 2018, according to the insurer’s 2019 Bold Goal progress report. Unhealthy days are […]
Geographic alignment and outside-of-the-box thinking are among the qualities Anthem Inc. (NYSE: ANTM) values from its prospective home care partners in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. An ability to demonstrate the value of in-home care services through data and evidence is also important, Martin Esquivel, vice president of Medicare product development for Indianapolis-based Anthem, told Home […]
Earlier this month, Minnesota-based UnitedHealthcare announced it was expanding the company’s bundled payment offerings to providers participating in its Medicare Advantage (MA) plan networks. Home health care is primed to play a major role in that expansion, Jeff Meyerhofer, president of bundled payment solutions for UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare & Retirement division, told Home Health Care News […]
As the health care industry continues to move toward value-based payment, at-home care providers have more opportunity to shine than ever before — with players across the continuum taking notice. Leveraging unique data and capitalizing on differentiators are key to catching the attention of potential partners, experts say. In 2018, mergers and acquisitions within the […]