How to Get the Most From Medicare Advantage Plan

The foundation of Brand New Day’s plans lies in fostering a strong relationship between its members and their primary care providers.

Brand New Day, a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) HMO, has been serving Southern California seniors for nearly forty years. In their decades of experience, the company has seen changes in the healthcare industry, overhauls of health insurance regulations, and extraordinary advances in medicine. And all the while, they’ve learned how to adapt to ensure their members have access to the care they need and the benefits they deserve.

But Shawn Dewers, senior vice president and national business leader at Brand New Day, notes that some things haven’t changed at all. “As long as we’ve been in business, the two pillars of health for seniors have been prevention and early detection,” Dewers said. “And we’ve learned that one of the surest ways for seniors to achieve both is to get regular care from their primary care provider.”

Each Brand New Day plan is designed to help its members build strong relationships with their primary care providers (PCPs). A PCP is a patient’s main medical practitioner – the doctor they see most often. When a patient and their PCP get to know each other, it helps to ensure that all members have a healthcare provider who knows their health and understands their needs. “A strong patient–PCP relationship provides strong peace of mind. When your doctor knows you, your health, your lifestyle and habits, and how your health has changed, it means that you have someone on your team who can help you find the right path to living your healthiest life,” said Dewers.

One key way for seniors to get the most from their Medicare plan is to remember that healthcare isn’t just for chronic illness or acute injury – it is equally important to focus on health maintenance. An annual wellness visit is an excellent way for members and their PCPs to get to know each other. This annual visit, which is free to all Brand New Day members, also allows doctors and their patients to discuss health goals, review any health changes that have occurred in the past year, and determine if there are any needs for specialist care. If so, the PCP can then help the member find a specialist within their network to ensure that their care is covered by their health plan.

“We didn’t design our plans just to ensure access to care when our members face serious illness – though, of course, our plans do that,” said Shaina Popkin, regional vice president of sales for Brand New Day. “We designed our plans to help our members feel their best, be active and independent, and have as many healthy, happy days as possible.”

Brand New Day has incorporated several benefits and programs within its plans to help accomplish this goal. All Brand New Day plans include a fitness benefit that provides free membership at participating gyms, which can include group fitness classes. All plans also include a free personal emergency response system (PERS) to alert family, friends, or caretakers if a senior experiences a fall or other emergency. It’s a trusted system that can provide confidence and peace of mind for both seniors and their loved ones.

To help motivate members to take action to maintain their health, Brand New Day has also launched a Rewards Plus program. Through this program, plan members can earn up to $150 in rewards for taking steps toward regular health maintenance. Their rewards are loaded to a prepaid MasterCard, which they can use at any participating retailer. Eligible healthy actions include completing a health risk assessment form, getting breast and colorectal cancer screenings, getting an annual flu shot, and having that all-important annual wellness visit.

“Seniors deserve more from their health plans,” said Dewers. “And we aim to make sure they get it.”