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It’s hard to identify an aspect of the Medicare system that isn’t wasteful in some way. The plan enrollment process is not only overcomplicated and inefficient, but highly burdensome. The last thing older Americans need is to be bombarded by phone calls and barraged by misleading advertisements.
When it comes to something as crucial as medical insurance, older Americans shouldn’t feel rushed at any point in the enrollment process. Still, pushy salespeople barrage older Americans with unsolicited phone calls in an aggressive attempt to sell them the plans that make them marketing incentives. These plans, in reality, may not fit the beneficiary’s individual needs in the slightest.
This has been the standard for decades. Aside from plan enrollment, countless issues permeate the Medicare system as a whole.
The opaque cloud of Medicare confusion begins with a lack of accessible information. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation report, nearly half of Medicare beneficiaries say they’ve never visited the Medicare website, which is intended to be the country’s primary source of unbiased plan information.
A lack of understanding can then translate into more serious issues: a study by the National Library of Medicine found that around 70% of beneficiaries failed to pick the lowest-cost prescription drug plan available to them, ultimately spending 25% more on drug coverage than they needed to.
The Inflation Reduction Act is a terrific step in the right direction towards systemic Medicare reform as it adds an out-of-pocket maximum to Part D prescription drug spending. In reality, though, older Americans won’t see real price improvements until 2026.
Medicare inefficiencies are too overwhelming and burdensome for older Americans who simply want the right healthcare. For too long, their Medicare journey has been tainted by ever-complicated intricacies, innumerable hoops to jump through, and pushy salespeople.
Given that each of the 59 million Medicare beneficiaries nationwide can’t have their own personal Medicare advisor, we need to be taking action to provide broader guidance. Guidance that starts with enrollment and continues after that point of sale.
Hella Health is built to be there for Medicare beneficiaries across their entire Medicare journey. After enrollment, our Medicare Angel tool serves as a digital lifetime advocate that actively monitors complicated plan elements that may be too difficult for older Americans to stay on top of themselves.
Our Medicare Angel was built to track any changes that may typically go unseen: from price changes within beneficiaries’ plans to broader changes to the Medicare market. By utilizing this simple tool, older Americans can see which of their doctors are in their plan network, details about their preferred pharmacy, and a comprehensive list of each of their prescriptions. They can also be alerted to price changes and reminders of when, and how, to change their plans, if they so choose to.
Given the complexities that have riddled the system for so long, older Americans who are enrolled in Medicare need an advocate. Hella Health steps in to ease the process in its entirety.
Author Bio: Rafal Walkiewicz is the CEO and founder of Hella Health, the first 100% digital platform built to educate and enroll customers in Medicare plans. Rafal has a track record as a thought leader in the insurance industry. His innovative thinking and expertise in insurtech trends set him apart as a disruptor in a sector where change is long overdue. You can read some interviews here: https://bit.ly/3bMhGhz and https://bit.ly/3vVjzj0
