ORANGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, nearly 5.3 million seniors in California can begin shopping for new health care coverage from Alignment Health Plan, one of U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 “Best” insurance companies for Medicare Advantage.1 The award-winning plan from Orange-based Alignment Healthcare is offering 30 Medicare Advantage plans across the state in 2021, including eight new plan choices, while expanding its coverage into two new counties – Ventura and San Luis Obispo.
Medicare’s annual open enrollment period begins Oct. 15 and goes through Dec. 7, for coverage starting Jan. 1, 2021.
New plan choices include AVA™ HMO – a virtual-first health plan that includes a $50 monthly premium rebate and $100 monthly allowance to purchase over-the-counter items such as cold and allergy medicine and denture products – in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara and Ventura counties. The virtual care HMO gives members a dedicated virtual primary care provider and virtual specialists – accessible by phone or video on the company’s proprietary AVA™ data and technology platform for $0 copay – as well as providers available in person to see the patient at home or in the doctor’s office as needed. Also new: CalPlusDuals, an HMO special needs plan for individuals enrolled in Medicare and Medi-Cal, in Marin, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, and Harmony, a $0 premium HMO plan in Santa Clara and San Diego with built-in acupuncture, over-the-counter and pet care benefits.
“At Alignment Healthcare, we understand that affordability and access are important concerns for Californians, especially seniors living on fixed incomes, and our 2021 plans reflect that, with $0 premium options, monthly premium rebates, free transportation and monthly allowances for over-the-counter products and groceries for those who qualify,” said Dawn Maroney, president of consumer and markets, Alignment Healthcare. “We make every effort to provide seniors with the comprehensive coverage and choice they’re looking for and bring them the quality of care they deserve.”
Alignment’s 2021 expansion enables seniors in San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties to select one of its plans, which all include the company’s 24/7 ACCESS On-Demand Concierge team and a “black card” that can be used as a debit card to buy eligible over-the-counter items at more than 50,000 drug stores nationwide. Alignment continues to address social needs among seniors, such as food instability and lack of transportation, that directly affect health outcomes, by offering new benefits in select plans – including pest control, personal emergency response systems, post-hospitalization meals and air purifier services – to extend the concierge program’s existing benefits such as grocery allowance and non-emergency clinical transportation.
In Los Angeles and Orange counties, Alignment members will benefit from access to nonprofit health system MemorialCare’s hundreds of primary care providers and 200 locations, while in San Diego, Alignment will add more than 950 primary care providers and specialists to its network through a new partnership with Scripps Health, available exclusively to members of Alignment’s Select HMO.
“It isn’t surprising that 40 percent of those eligible for Medicare choose Medicare Advantage plans that deliver a more coordinated care experience and, in the case of Alignment Health Plan, access to 24/7 care and service,” said John Kao, founder, and CEO, Alignment Healthcare. “Our team at Alignment works hard throughout the year to put our members first, providing peace of mind knowing that they have someone on their side, especially during this time of COVID-19.”
Alignment’s existing service area in California includes Los Angeles, Marin, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Stanislaus and Yolo. For more information on the company’s plans and offerings, visit alignmenthealthplan.com.
ABOUT ALIGNMENT HEALTHCARE
Alignment Healthcare is redefining the business of health care by shifting the focus from payments to people. We have created a new model for health care delivery that cuts costs and improves lives by unraveling the inefficiencies of the current system to drive patients, providers and payers toward a common goal of wellness. Harnessing best practices from Medicare Advantage, our innovative data-management technology allows us to commit to caring for seniors and those who need it most: the chronically ill and frail. Alignment Healthcare provides partners and patients with customized care and service where they need it and when they need it, including clinical coordination, risk management and technology facilitation. Alignment Healthcare offers health plan options through Alignment Health Plan, and also partners with select health plans to help deliver better benefits at lower costs. For more information, please visit www.alignmenthealthcare.com.
1 5,294,014 as of August 2020, https://www.cms.gov/research-statistics-data-and-systemsstatistics-trends-and-reportsmcradvpartdenroldatama-state-county/ma-statecounty-penetration-2020-08; Alignment Health Plan named 2020 “Best Insurance Company” for Medicare Advantage by U.S. News & World Report, https://health.usnews.com/health-news/best-medicare-plans/best-insurance-companies-for-medicare-advantage-plans"
