Home Health & Hospice Week

If you thought offering supplemental benefits would take off as a Medicare Advantage plan bonus, you seem to be right.

New data analysis from consulting firm Avalere Health indicates that in 2021, 27 percent of MA plans will offer in-home support services. That’s up from 21 percent last year, 19 percent in 2019, and 11 percent the first year they were allowed, in 2018, according to the firm. There will be 4,494 plans in the nation next year.

Other top supplemental offerings related to health include vision, dental, hearing, and fitness benefits, all above 90 percent. Top non-health-related benefits include pest control at 25 percent and non-medical transportation at 21 percent, according to Avalere.

In 2021, 15 percent of enrollees in non-employer MA plans are enrolled in plans offering special supplemental benefits for the chronically ill (SSBCI), as compared to 6 percent in 2020, Avalere adds. See the report at https://avalere.com/insights/ma-enrollment-in-plans-with-extra-benefits-for-chronically-ill-tripled-in-2021.