SCAN Health Plan Members With Hearing Loss Will Save Thousands in Out-of-Pocket Costs With New 2017 Hearing Aid Benefit

(LONG BEACH, Calif. – November 21, 2016) — The majority of SCAN Health Plan members with hearing loss will be able to avail themselves of significant savings on new hearing aids thanks to a 2017 benefit being introduced by the not-for-profit Medicare Advantage health plan.

The new benefit includes a routine hearing exam, hearing aid fitting and evaluation, and two hearing aids per calendar year with a simple copayment of $699 or $999 per hearing aid, depending on the hearing aid selected. This is a significant out-of-pocket savings when compared with the average retail price of two hearing aids, which is approximately $4,700 per pair according to the National Academies of Sciences report on hearing aid affordability.

“The high cost of hearing aids has put them out of reach for many of our members,” said Cathy Batteer, senior vice president and general manager at SCAN. “We know how important good hearing is to overall health and independence, and that’s why we developed such a robust benefit for 2017.”

More than 48 million Americans suffer from hearing loss, according to the Hearing Loss Association of America, but only about 20 percent of them address the problem. Studies have shown that untreated hearing loss can contribute to other more serious health conditions, such as depression, cognitive decline, and an increased risk of falls, all of which are serious concerns for seniors. On the other hand people who address their hearing loss by wearing hearing aids lower their risk of developing dementia, have improved balance, and report higher levels of happiness and satisfaction with their lives.

The new benefit is offered through TruHearing, which has a contracted network of more than 3,800 hearing professionals across the country. The hearing aids offered to SCAN members feature the latest advances in hearing aid technology, such as wireless connectivity to a smart phone or tablet, feedback suppression, directionality, speech enhancement, and multichannel programming.

“This benefit really resonated with our senior advocate team—these are SCAN members who provide important feedback to us throughout the year,” said Batteer. “We understand their challenges and are so glad to provide them a meaningful solution. Our members now have affordable access to high-quality hearing aids as well as the personal care of a provider before their hearing loss leads to more serious problems.”

SCAN’s 2017 benefit offerings also include a new Preferred Pharmacy program offering lower copayments for prescription drugs and, in many counties, giving plan members the option to pay $0 for many commonly used generic drugs. In addition, all of SCAN’s Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans feature all of the basic benefits traditionally covered under Medicare with no deductibles and low copays for most services. Other benefits include vision care and routine transportation. The new hearing benefit applies to all SCAN members except those in Ventura County and members of the Connections Plan in San Joaquin or VillageHealth in Los Angeles/Orange counties.

In 2017 SCAN will continue to be available to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in 12 California counties: Los Angeles, Marin, Napa, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Sonoma and Ventura.

The annual enrollment period for choosing a Medicare Advantage plan for 2017 runs from October 15 to December 7, 2016. During this time seniors and others on Medicare may choose to switch their health plan or move from traditional Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan (or move back to original Medicare) with their new coverage taking effect January 1, 2017.

SCAN Health Plan is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plans with nearly 170,000 members in California. Part of the SCAN family, SCAN Health Plan is committed to keeping seniors healthy and independent. In addition to Medicare Advantage, SCAN Health Plan also offers Special Needs Plans, including coverage for those who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medi-Cal. For more information, visit scanhealthplan.com, facebook.com/scanhealthplan, or follow us on twitter @scanhealthplan. 

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As governed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, member benefits vary by county. More information is available at www.scan2017.com or by calling 1-855-561-7226, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. TTY/TDD users may call 711. SCAN Health Plan is an HMO plan with a Medicare contract and a contract with the California Medi-Cal (Medicaid) program. Enrollment in SCAN Health Plan depends on contract renewal.

You must continue to pay your Medicare Part B premium. This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Limitations, copayments and restrictions may apply. Benefits, premiums and/or copayments/co-insurance may change on January 1 of each year. The Formulary, pharmacy network and/or provider network may change at any time. You will receive notice when necessary.

SCAN Health Plan complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex. SCAN Health Plan cumple con las leyes federales de derechos civiles aplicables y no discrimina por motivos de raza, color, nacionalidad, edad, discapacidad o sexo. SCAN Health Plan 遵守適用的聯邦民權法律規定，不因種族、膚色、民族血統、年齡、殘障或性別而歧視 任何人。

ATTENTION: If you speak another language, language assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Call 1-855-561-7226. (TTY: 711). ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-855-561-7226. (TTY: 711) 注意：如果您使用繁體中文，您可以免費獲得語言援助服務。請致電 1-855-561-7226 。（TTY：711）。