2021 health plans will offer innovations without losing a human touch

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced unprecedented challenges for healthcare this year. Yet as we head into 2021 and the future of health and Medicare plans, there have also been many positive lessons that will only improve patient care and overall wellness for Californians.

This is especially true for modern Medicare Advantage plans, which are supplemental plans to original Medicare.

Thousands of Southern Californians utilize these plans, as their many benefits and perks can improve health and wellness for themselves and their family members.

Medicare Advantage plans offer myriad benefits like gym memberships, fitness classes, wellness instruction, transportation and vision care. Some plans also provide post-hospitalization support, such as home caregiving and home-delivered meals, and even offer relief services to full-time unpaid caregivers, like family and friends who can often suffer fatigue and emotional wounds in the process of caring for a person who is ill.

As well as comprehensive prescription drug and pharmaceutical benefits, Many Medicare Advantage plans offer overthe-counter coverage for hundreds of the most-used healthcare items, such as pain relievers, vitamins and first aid supplies.

This can save seniors, often on limited incomes, thousands of dollars on items they rely on each day.

Adding to benefits provided by Medicare Part B, comprehensive coverage for what’s known as “durable medical equipment” is also available with many plans, including mobility support items like walkers, home safety equipment like hand grips and rails, and electric scooters or chairs. But Advantage plans often cover ultra-modern items, like state-of-the-art hearing aids that pair with smart devices, and even wearable fitness monitors, which currently boast heart rate tracking, ECG, and are even being introduced with blood oxygen monitors.

Due to the realities faced during the continuing pandemic, there are inherent dangers taken interacting out of the home for all seniors, not just those with underlying health conditions. Many Medicare Advantage plans are therefore offering much more in the way of online-only services, from virtual visits to online prescription refills with home delivery. Because older Southern Californians may be unfamiliar with technologies related to these services, some plans are offering healthcare “tech support” — utilizing experts to aid those unfamiliar with their computers or personal tech devices in creating and updating medical accounts, using web conference software, making and organizing medical appointments, ordering prescriptions and medical supplies online and more.

Unsurprisingly, telehealth use during 2020 grew exponentially, but health professionals also understand that many services and procedures can only be accomplished in person and that restrictions due to the pandemic will not last indefinitely.

With this knowledge, medical centers and health professionals are learning lessons today to plan for this “new normal.” This includes more rigorous protocols for sanitation and cleanliness, mask mandates, social distancing in common areas and waiting rooms, and appointment management to ensure illnesses cannot be spread and that those receiving health care also receive peace of mind.

Combining these protocols with the rise in telehealth and virtual visits will, by making doctors’ day-to-day work more efficient, make space for improvements in the overall quality of care offered. But it doesn’t stop in the medical office. Other unforeseen upsides of the pandemic may be less tangible yet equally significant to senior well-being.

One such way is that younger people may have a better idea of what social isolation looks like. Being alone and emotionally unsupported is an issue affecting many older Americans, and the COVID-19 lockdowns and distancing requirements have put this kind of loneliness in sharp focus for everyone. It’s hopeful that those of all ages can offer a bit more empathy and understanding for seniors who may not have the emotional support network those with large friend groups or families can take for granted.

Finally, all medical plans remind seniors how important it is to get flu immunizations at this time of year. Aside from the flu creating a comorbidity with the coronavirus, the virus on its own can be very deadly for older people. Experts underscore the vaccine’s importance to underserved and non-English-speaking residents, who tend to have lower immunization rates. Every shot administered creates better immunity for us all, and many Medicare plans, pharmacies and community centers offer these injections free-of-charge.

– Paul Rogers
Custom Publishing Writer