NEWS
Medicare Advantage (MA) members do not feel incentivized by plans to improve their health, as reported by Jeff Lagasse in a 2019 Healthcare Finance News article.
While citing a 2018 Healthmine study involving 718 MA beneficiaries who had at least one chronic condition, the article explained how 60% of MA members say their plans do not incentivize them to live healthier by completing preventive care activities, such as attending annual wellness visits. 75% of members also stated that they did not receive personalized recommendations, and most recommendations were geared towards the general population, i.e. flu shots, with only 15% receiving recommendations for chronic conditions.
Lagasse noted that only a handful of members actually follow through on recommendations, but highlighted several solutions for improving member engagement with personalized interventions. Health plans could utilize a member’s medical record to inform outreach campaigns and take advantage of personalized SMS and email reminders to nudge members to complete activities. Other solutions involve pairing positive incentives and wellness programs with health activity completion, such as online health coaching, fitness programs, sweepstakes, and direct rewards like gift cards.
A key element discussed by Lagasse in the article is the rise in chronic conditions among seniors in recent years and the high medical costs related to treating these conditions. These two elements can have a serious impact on plan performance; however, by focusing member engagement and rewards programs on improving the overall health of each member, plans can empower their populations to better manage their diseases, ultimately reducing the cost of treatment.
