This week we are reading about Integrity Marketing Group’s rapid expansion with acquisition of Medicare Advantage Specialists, 2020 Medicare Advantage plans with increased focus on social determinants, and seniors’ curiosity on virtual care.
Integrity Marketing Group Continues Rapid Expansion with Acquisition of Medicare Advantage Specialists | Integrity Marketing | October 8, 2019
Integrity Marketing Group, LLC (“Integrity”), the nation’s largest independent distributor of life and health insurance products to the Senior Market, today announced it has completed the acquisition of Medicare Advantage Specialists, am insurance marketing organization headquartered in Hoover, Alabama. As part of the deal, Medicare Advantage Specialists President and CEO Jerry Kamer will become an owner in Integrity. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Founded in 2004, Medicare Advantage Specialists is a nationally recognized, award-winning insurance marketing organization and a national leader in the Medicare insurance market. The company is a trusted source in the brokerage industry for Medicare knowledge, trends, and news. In addition to a comprehensive suite of Medicare Advantage products, the company offers final expense, supplemental health insurance, dental/ vision/hearing, prescription drug plans, life insurance and annuities.
Read the full article on prnewswire.com here.
Payers roll out 2020 MA plans with increased focus on social determinants | Healthcare Dive | October 2, 2019
With Medicare Advantage open enrollment about two weeks away, major payers have announced plan details for 2020, including geographic expansions and new benefits addressing population health factors.
MA has been a wildly successful program for commercial insurers, and payers are correspondingly upping their investment. A third of all Medicare-eligible seniors are expected to be in an MA plan next year.
CMS gave MA plans a boost with a 2019 payment rule allowing more flexible benefits for social determinants of health and virtual services. Some of those plans rolled out last year, with about 40% offering one of the new types of supplemental benefits, but payers said they didn’t have enough time to produce extensive offerings.
Now for 2020, insurers are increasing the focus on population health.
Read the full press release on healthcaredive.com here.
Seniors curious but cautious on virtual care | Healthcare Dive | October 2, 2019
- More than half of older adults don’t know whether their doctor offers telemedicine services, according to a new University of Michigan survey.
- Almost three-quarters of adults aged 50 to 80 surveyed were worried virtual care visits didn’t offer an opportunity for a physical exam. Almost 40% expressed concern about not being able to see or hear their doctor correctly during the visit.
- However, interest in telemedicine was high, with nearly two-thirds expressing interest in virtual care options if they became ill while traveling. The researchers, who are also behind the National Poll on Healthy Aging, also found more than half of seniors surveyed were interested in a telehealth follow-up or return visit.
Read the full press release on healthcaredive.com here.