LOUISVILLE, Ky.–(BUSINESS WIRE) — Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) today released details of its Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plan offerings for 2023 – with a clear focus on benefits and support based on what its members have said they want and need.

The news comes after the company’s pledge earlier this year to identify $1 billion in cost savings to invest back into its Medicare Advantage program and CenterWell healthcare services.

Humana is offering a wide range of cost-effective and flexible plans to meet the diverse needs of millions of Medicare-eligible individuals during the Annual Election Period Oct. 15-Dec. 7.

“When you sum up what Humana is offering this year, it’s as simple as this: Our members spoke, and we listened,” said George Renaudin, Medicare President for Humana. “We conducted extensive research to ensure our changes align with consumer wants and needs. This research resulted in investments focused on what consumers want, like dental coverage, which is consistently a #1 priority in supplemental benefits for our members.”

Humana’s goal as it designed plans for 2023 was to ensure benefit stability or improvement for current Humana members. Humana will also expand Medicare HMO offerings into 260 new counties and introduce Medicare LPPO plans in 260 new counties – marking a significant opportunity to serve an additional 4.6 million Medicare-eligible individuals across the country. This includes plans to expand its Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) to 184 new counties. For the first time, LPPO plans will be available in California, Rhode Island and Wyoming, and D-SNPs are being added in South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

MEDICARE ADVANTAGE (PART C)

Medicare Advantage plans combine the benefits of original Medicare and may include other options, like dental, vision, hearing and prescription drugs. Original Medicare includes hospital insurance (Part A, which is free for individuals eligible for Medicare who have paid payroll taxes for at least 10 years) and medical insurance (Part B, which has a premium and deductible, and requires copays for many services). Medicare Advantage covers Parts A and B in addition to other health and wellness benefits and services, such as routine dental, vision and hearing care on many plans, and often includes Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D).

Many Humana Medicare Advantage plans also include predictable copayments and no deductibles for many services, maximum out-of-pocket protection, and innovative offerings such as fitness programs, flexible spending accounts and transportation benefits.

Humana’s 2023 Medicare Advantage Updates

• More $0 premium offerings. Humana is significantly increasing the availability of $0 premium HMO and LPPO plans to improve affordability, accessibility and ease of use.
• Healthy Options Allowance. The new Healthy Options Allowance offers members with D-SNPs, and other qualifying members with chronic health conditions on some Medicare Advantage plans, the flexibility to spend their funds – up to $3,300 a year depending on the plan – where they need it most – whether that’s for groceries, rent and utilities, over-the-counter products, home supplies, non-medical transport, pest control, pet care supplies, disaster relief kits, and more.
• $0 Rx copays. For individuals eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, Humana’s D-SNPs come with $0 Rx copays on all covered Part D prescriptions.
• Enhanced dental benefits. An out-of-network benefit for dental is being added to certain HMO plans to offer improved access to providers. There are also options for embedded dental, including allowances of $500 or more. Members can use the allowance toward covered services, without limits on the number of individual services, like extractions or number of cleanings. The new allowances can be used toward all covered dental services at 100 percent up to the allowance amount and allow members to go to any dental provider in or out of network on PPO options.
• Flexible allowance for dental, vision and hearing. The flexible annual allowance on certain plans helps members pay out-of-pocket dental, vision or hearing expenses for covered services, making them more affordable for members.
• Simplified access to prescription medications. Humana is removing the preferred retail pharmacy pricing to create one robust retail network with more than 60,000 pharmacies that will offer the same low-cost access to prescription drugs. Many plans include low to no cost sharing for commonly used generics and maintenance medications to ensure members can afford the medications they need.
• Enhanced vaccine and insulin coverage. All Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans will offer $0 Part D vaccines, including the shingles vaccine, while COVID-19 and flu vaccines will remain covered at $0. Member cost share of covered Part D insulin will be no more than $35 for every one-month (up to a 30-day) supply.
• Veteran-focused plans with option to include prescription drugs and givebacks. Humana and USAA partnered to design the new Humana USAA Honor with Rx plan. Like all Humana Honor plans recommended by USAA, the new plan is available to anyone eligible for Medicare but may be an especially good fit for veterans, as it complements and works alongside their VA healthcare benefits. It is designed to give veterans more flexibility to choose between the VA or civilian doctors, pharmacies and specialists. Benefits of the Humana USAA Honor with Rx plan include $0 premiums, Part B giveback ranging from $40-75 a month depending on the plan, preventive and robust dental coverage with an additional $1,000 allowance, and prescription drug options that offer access to medications at local pharmacies with co-pays as low as $0. Humana and USAA together will also offer the USAA Health Flex Card to cover out-of-pocket expenses for covered dental, vision and hearing care.
• Expanded hospital services at home with $0 cost share. Humana is significantly expanding support for its two hospital-at-home models. Both the provider-referred model and the facility-referred model include a $0 cost share on some plans.
• HMO travel benefit offers care coverage when outside the home area. HMO Open Access plan members will be able to seek non-emergency services from contracted HMO providers when traveling to other states.
• Social support for members experiencing loneliness. Papa Pals is a social needs benefit on select plans that provides qualifying members with companionship and general support up to eight hours per month. College students are matched with members to assist with light housekeeping, transportation to doctor appointments, grocery shopping, and even use of computers and smartphones.
• CenterWell primary care, pharmacy and home health. Humana has expanded its owned clinical care providers to better serve its medical members and strengthen its healthcare services. CenterWell, part of Humana Inc., and in-network with many Humana Medicare Advantage plans, offers primary care, pharmacy and home health services that put patients at the center with personal, comprehensive and accessible care.