New for '09: No-Cost Fitness Club Membership; No Co-Pay on Select Generic Prescription Drugs

(October 1, 2008) —SCAN Health Plan today announced that it will continue to offer its original Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) plan in San Diego County in 2009 with no monthly premiums and no deductibles. The SCAN Signature Plan will continue to be offered with a $59 monthly premium and no deductibles. The SCAN Signature Plan offers an expanded provider network, which includes the world-renowned Scripps Health.

With both plans primary care physician office visit co-payments are just $10, and there is no co-payment for annual routine physical exams or preventive screenings. Members also receive a generous prescription drug benefit (Medicare Part D), including no co-payments on 12 of the most widely used generic prescription drugs and unlimited coverage for generic drugs. In 2009, all SCAN members in San Diego County will receive a new, no-cost fitness club membership.

As always, SCAN members receive all of the basic benefits covered under Medicare, including doctor visits, hospital care, emergency/urgent care, skilled nursing facility care and more. Beyond these core benefits, SCAN offers routine eye and hearing exams; transportation to the doctor’s office; in-home recovery benefits, including home-delivered meals and personal care services; SCAN On-Call™, a 24-hour nurse advice line; and access to emergency care worldwide.

“In addition to the health benefits, one of the biggest benefits members continue to praise is the personal service they receive day in and day out,” said David Schmidt, president and chief executive officer of SCAN Health Plan. All of SCAN employees undergo an “age sensitivity program” to better help them understand the process of aging and better identify with members’ needs. In addition, calls into SCAN during business hours are answered by one of SCAN’s specially trained member service representatives, not by an automated recording.

“This all adds up to the special SCAN touch that we believe truly helps differentiate us and is one of the reasons for our excellent retention rate,” said Schmidt.

For more than 30 years, SCAN Health Plan has been focusing on the unique needs of people with Medicare and today is the fourth largest nonprofit Medicare Advantage Plan in the United States. The company currently serves nearly 105,000 members in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and Kern counties. In Arizona, SCAN offers a health plan for Medicare and Medicaid-eligible individuals and also provides long-term care services to individuals enrolled in the state’s long-term care system in Maricopa County. In 2009, SCAN will also offer an MAPD in Maricopa County. Further information may be obtained at www.scanhealthplan.com.

Medicare beneficiaries interested in joining SCAN may call 800-915-7226 for more information.