From Anger to Action: How SCAN Started a Movement

Aging in America wasn’t just hard. It was unfair.

For too long, older adults were at the mercy of a system that wasn’t built for them. Services existed, but they were scattered. Confusing. Buried under red tape.

Independence wasn’t slipping away because of age; it was being stolen by bureaucracy.

Jodi Cohn saw it firsthand. “The system was fragmented. It was expensive. There weren’t providers who could take care of older people,” she said.

She wasn’t alone. She and a handful of others got together and turned frustration into fuel. Being mad doesn’t change anything, but taking action does.

And so, twelve angry seniors built something bigger than themselves: the Senior Care Action Network, or SCAN.

“The concept was to create a single-entry system for seniors and to coordinate with all the different agencies that served them,” said Sam Ervin, SCAN’s CEO from 1978 to 2002.

From those simple beginnings, something big took root.

TAKING THE FIGHT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

SCAN worked, and people noticed. State and federal leaders saw the impact, and we staked a seat at the table. By 1984, we launched our first Medicare health plan—a plan built for seniors, by seniors.

And we didn't stop there. We evolved to meet even more needs:

• Meal delivery: Fresh, nutritious meals—delivered. Because eating well should be easy, no matter your circumstances.
• Social engagement: Isolation isn’t just lonely—it’s unhealthy. SCAN Learning Communities keep members connected, engaged, and thriving.
• Transportation: Getting to the doctor shouldn’t be a battle. We make sure our members arrive safely, on time, and without stress.
• Medical coordination: 24/7 access to a nurse via telephone means real peace of mind. Because questions about your health shouldn’t have to wait.
• Plans for women: Aging women deserve better care. SCAN Inspired delivers tailored support for real needs, not assumptions.
• Plans for the LGBTQIA+ community: Inclusive care should be the standard, not the exception. SCAN Affirm is the world’s first Medicare Advantage plan tailored to older LGBTQIA+ adults—the first generation to come out publicly.

Always adapting. Always growing.

Unlike massive health plans that put profits first, we stayed true to our roots: not-for-profit, member-driven, independent.

“Today, I’m a member of SCAN, and so is my wife,” said Ervin. “SCAN has always been about keeping our members healthy and independent.”

Word continues to spread: Today, 50% of our new members come from word-of-mouth referrals.

“That’s because we’ve built trust—not through marketing, but through decades of action,” said SCAN CEO Dr. Sachin Jain.