LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dr. Sachin H. Jain, president and CEO of SCAN Group, whose holdings include SCAN Health Plan, called for the incoming Biden administration to expand the availability of Medicare Advantage plans to uninsured Americans who don’t qualify for Medicare or Medicaid.
“President-elect Biden has said that he wants to offer Americans the ability to buy into ‘a public health insurance option,’” Jain wrote in an article published in Modern Healthcare. “The best such option is Medicare Advantage.”
“Advantage plans have proven wildly popular among the mostly older adult populations they cover. That’s in large part because the plans are able to offer a wider array of health-related benefits than traditional Medicare,” Jain wrote.
Also, Jain stated that Medicare Advantage plans “outperform traditional Medicare, producing better outcomes at lower costs for both the government and beneficiaries alike.” Jain cited several studies that show that Medicare Advantage plans performed better on several key quality measures, including avoidable hospitalizations and higher rates of preventive screenings.
In addition, Jain noted that annual beneficiary costs for Advantage enrollees are about 40% lower than for those in traditional Medicare.
As for how much such an option would cost taxpayers, Jain noted that the cost to care for Medicare Advantage enrollees is typically less than it is for traditional Medicare beneficiaries. What’s more, he wrote, “growing Medicare Advantage would not require a massive expansion of the federal government’s role in healthcare, something the majority of Americans consistently say they oppose.”
The full text of the article can be found here: https://www.modernhealthcare.com/opinion-editorial/medicare-all-better-route-universal-coverage-would-be-medicare-advantage-all.
Dr. Jain is available to speak to members of the media.
About SCAN Health Plan
SCAN Health Plan is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plans, serving more than 220,000 members in California. Since its founding in 1977, SCAN has been a mission-driven organization dedicated to keeping seniors healthy and independent. Independence at Home, a SCAN community service, provides vitally needed services and support to seniors and their caregivers regardless of plan membership. SCAN also offers education programs, community funding, volunteer opportunities and other community services throughout our California service area. To learn more, visit scanhealthplan.com or follow us on Twitter @scanhealthplan.
