Medicare Advantage plans can now cover a greater range of health-related services starting next year.

Starting in January 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded the health-related benefits that insurers are allowed to include in their Medicare Advantage plans.

Some Medicare Advantage plans will now include rides to the gym and safety measures like bathroom grab bars.

Original Medicare is a combination of Medicare Part A which covers hospital care and other inpatient services, and Medicare Part B which covers doctor visits, outpatient, and preventive care. Original Medicare doesn’t cover many prescriptions.

Medicare Advantage plans provide coverage for all of Original Medicare’s benefits and can often include additional services, prescription drug coverage and other benefits through a private insurer like Humana.

Medicare Advantage plans provide additional coverage such as vision, hearing, and dental benefits, and also offer health and wellness programs and a 24/7 nurse advice line. And most include Medicare prescription drug coverage.

Many health and wellness benefits include gym memberships and fitness programs, as well as transportation to medical appointments. Medicare Advantage plans for 2019 offer members access to a wider range of over-the-counter personal-care items, such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, pills, cold medicines, eye drops and vitamins, heating pads, compression stockings, and other supplies for diabetics, plastic wraps, and other first aid items.

CMS has approved new Medicare Advantage supplemental benefit benefits that include virtual medical appointments, virtual psychiatry, caregiver support, and in-home assistance services.

Medicare beneficiaries can find out which new benefits will be offered in 2019 for Medicare Advantage plans in their area by visiting the Medicare Plan Finder or Humana Medicare Advantage plans online. www.humana.com/Medicare.

You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-833-4227 or TTY: 1877-486-2048) from any time of the day, seven days in a row, or call Humana at 1-877-714 (TTY Use 711) between 8 and 8 p.m. (local time), seven days a semaine.

The Medicare Advantage/Prescription Drug Plan Annual Wahl Period is Oct. 15-Dec. 7, 2018, for coverage that begins Jan. 1, 2019.

 

Humana is a Medicare Advantage HMO/PPO and PFFS organization. It also includes a stand-alone prescription plan and a Medicare contract. The renewal of a plan is required to enroll in any Humana plan.

This information does not include all benefits. For more information, please call 1-877-877-0714.

 

Humana Medicare Advantage members can currently access telepsychiatry services at certain locations. Each state has its own limitations regarding prescription and health care delivery via virtual visits. There are also different communication options. Virtual visits are not meant to be a replacement for emergency care. This information is intended to be used as an informational tool and not as a substitute for consulting a licensed professional.

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