UnitedHealthcare is eliminating prior authorization requirements for certain home health services provided under Medicare Advantage plans as part of a larger push to cut prior authorization volume by 10% this year. Effective April 1, 2025, the insurance giant—part of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UHG)—will no longer require prior authorization or concurrent review processes for home health […]
Aetna
Last year, many major Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations released previews of what benefits they planned to offer seniors this year. Many of these organizations have moved away from offering plans that include home-based care services. In fact, ATI Advisory found that fewer MA plans were offering benefits, such as in-home services and support, as well […]
The Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) released a report on Thursday revealing that the nation’s three largest Medicare Advantage (MA) insurers have significantly increased the rate at which they denied seniors’ post-acute care from 2020 to 2023. This includes denying access to nursing homes, inpatient rehabilitation facilities and long-term acute care hospitals. […]
In 2023, Medicare Advantage (MA) plan members represented more than half of all Medicare beneficiaries for the first time. In 2024, while penetration continues, there are other trends within MA that home-based care providers should be paying attention to. Seniors have more options than ever when choosing MA plans. But a few of the top […]
CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) held its investor day Tuesday, which included company leaders’ ambitious plan for the future. That plan includes a synchronization of its health care delivery arm with the rest of the enterprise, and that health care delivery arm, of course, includes home-based health care. “We said we wanted to be in primary […]
Funding for fee-for-service home health care and home- and community-based services ebbs and flows. But the payer source most likely to dictate the future of home-based care providers – across the board – is Medicare Advantage (MA). MA plans aren’t immune to tough rate environments, either. In fact, they’re in one right now. That’s one […]
Insurance companies selling Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have been facing increased scrutiny from members of Congress and regulators, with critics of the private version of Medicare claiming carriers are profiting far too much. In light of those sentiments and expected constraints, some believed MA plans could begin trimming their supplemental-benefits packages, which could lead to […]
Help at Home names market leader for Georgia Help at Home has named Hermina Yarde as its new market leader in Georgia as the company plans to expand further in the Peach State. Yarde’s appointment comes just a month after the franchise company acquired Prosper Home Care, a home care provider based in Atlanta, that […]
CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) laid out its plan to adapt to the changing needs of Americans that are 65 years old and above on Thursday. One of the pillars of that plan is a comprehensive home-based care strategy, one that will be bolstered by its recent $8 billion acquisition of Signify Health. “We’re envisioning a […]
With the annual enrollment period just around the corner, Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations are starting to tout what benefits they’re offering seniors for the upcoming year. MA is a form of Medicare that is administered by private insurers. Over recent years, plans have received more flexibility around what they can offer. That flexibility has allowed […]