SCAN debuts Medicare Advantage plan aimed at LGBTQ+ seniors

Photo: Cecilie Arcurs/Getty Images

SCAN Health Plan, a Medicare Advantage insurer known for its focus on older adults, is debuting a plan designed for LGBTQ+ seniors, a group the organization claimed has "typically been overlooked and underserved by our healthcare system."

The plan, SCAN Affirm partnered with Included LGBTQ+ Health (HMO), was created in collaboration with Included Health, an integrated virtual care and navigation platform.

Dr. Sachin Jain, president and CEO of SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan, said by statement that "SCAN Affirm is our way of addressing the unique health and social needs of LGBTQ+ seniors so that they may receive the specialized, quality healthcare they need to age with dignity and respect."

SCAN Affirm members will be supported by Included Health's Communities program. Included Health Communities is a dedicated care concierge and healthcare navigation platform for underserved populations, including the LGBTQ+ community.

The platform seeks to improve care equity by increasing members' trust in healthcare, connections to high-quality affirming care, and healthcare literacy and confidence, while reducing care avoidance. Members will also be able to access Included Health's behavioral health and on-demand virtual visits, which the company described as "culturally affirming."

WHAT'S THE IMPACT

SCAN cited research from the American Psychological Association showing that in the U.S., there are roughly 3 million LGBTQ+ adults over age 50. That number is expected to grow to around 7 million by 2030.

In addition to the challenges that come with aging, as a group, LGBTQ+ older adults encounter distinct health and socioeconomic disparities that negatively impact their physical and mental health, the research showed. This, compounded with the lack of social and familial support for some, poses a barrier to aging with dignity.

SCAN Health Plan will offer the SCAN Affirm plan to members in California's Los Angeles and Riverside counties. In addition to the other benefits offered through the plans, member benefits include care navigation services by Included Health, including support for a range of healthcare and non-healthcare needs, peer groups, community resources and advocacy; lower copays on specialty tier drugs including HIV treatments and gender affirming hormone treatment; and access to Included Health's dedicated team, which is led by LGBTQ+ individuals.

Additional benefits include virtual behavioral healthcare as well as on-demand virtual visits for everyday and urgent care needs; companion care services designed to address isolation and exclusion; and legal services reimbursement.

THE LARGER TREND

Medicare Open Enrollment began on Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7, and the Biden administration is claiming that people with Medicare will see lower average premiums for Medicare Part B, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans in 2023.

The White House attributed this in part to the Inflation Reduction Act, which President Biden signed into law in August.

SCAN Health Plan is among the nation's largest nonprofit Medicare Advantage plans, serving more than 270,000 members across California, Nevada and Arizona.

ON THE RECORD

"A lot of thought and care went into designing the SCAN Affirm product with the goal to provide people in the LGBTQ+ community with a non-discriminatory, quality healthcare experience," said Jill Selby, senior vice president of product development, marketing and market expansion for SCAN. "By combining our expertise in caring for older adults with Included Health's expertise in serving the LGBTQ+ population, we're aiming to create a dignified health journey that goes way beyond just benefits. SCAN Affirm offers this growing community not only quality healthcare, but support in other areas of life that are largely unaddressed."
 

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com