Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Georgia (Anthem) is committed to offering Medicare Advantage plans that provide high-quality medical care while also addressing other social and support needs that can impact good health. As part of this commitment, Anthem is expanding its 2019 Medicare Advantage offerings with the addition of Essential Extras, a new package of benefits that provides wellness services including healthy food delivery, health-related transportation services, adult day centers visits to help reduce loneliness, personal home helpers to help with daily activities at home, and alternative medicine. The program will be offered to consumers enrolled in Anthem MediBlue Plus.

“The introduction of Essential Extras is part of Anthem’s commitment to developing innovative approaches that help address the dynamic needs of our Medicare consumers,” said Tomas Orozco, President of Anthem’s Medicare East Region. “Lowering barriers and making it easier for individuals to access items that address everyday health needs are some of the best ways to help people live healthier. Giving people the option of services such as delivered meals or time at an adult day center may make it easier for them to better manage chronic conditions; engage more with their community; or avoid preventable health-related incidents, such as hospital readmissions.”

Individuals enrolled in Anthem’s 2019 Medicare Advantage plan can select one of the following six services offered in the Essential Extras package that best fits their healthcare needs at no additional cost:

• Healthy Food Deliveries: Up to 16 delivered meals per health event, up to four events each calendar year (64 total). A qualifying health event includes being discharged from a hospital, if the consumer has a Body Mass Index (BMI) more than 25, and/or if he/she has an A1C level more than 9.0.

• Transportation: Up to 60 one-way trips per year to health-related appointments or to obtain a service covered by the health plan.

• Personal Home Helper: Up to 124 hours of an in-home health aide for respite care, home-based chores, and assistance with activities of daily living, as approved by a licensed care provider.

• Assistive Devices: Up to a $500 allowance for safety devices such as ADA toilet seats, shower stools, hand-held shower heads, reaching devices, and temporary wheelchair ramps.

• Day Center Visits: Up to 1 visit per week for adult day center services, in order to help older adults who need supervision and assistance.

• Alternative Medicine: Up to 24 acupuncture and/or therapeutic massage visits each calendar year.

Some Anthem health plans already offer a benefit available in the Essential Extras package, such as delivered meals or transportation. If a consumer selects an Essential Extras option that is already provided in their health plan, the two benefits will be added together to ensure individuals have access to the full service as intended. For example, if a consumer enrolled in Anthem MediBlue Plus (HMO), which will offer 20 meals after hospital discharge, chooses the 16-meal nutrition option from Essential Extras, that person will have both sets of meals available to him/her.

Individuals who are interested in joining one of these health plans can enroll during this year’s Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP). The AEP began October 15, 2018, and continues through December 7, 2018 and gives consumers enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B the opportunity to sign up for Anthem’s 2019 Medicare Advantage plans.