Through strategic acquisitions, product launches and geographic
expansions, Medicare Advantage insurers across the U.S. are offering new
Special Needs Plans (SNPs) aimed at improving the lives of members who are
dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.
According to an analysis of the 2020 "landscape" files
posted by CMS in September, Chicago health care consultancy Clear View
Solutions, LLC, estimates that there are 171 net new SNP IDs, up from 60 net
new plans in 2019. And 97 of those net new plans are dual eligible SNPs,
compared with 47 D-SNPs that were introduced for 2019.
"I do think there is some 'pent up energy' from plans, and now that there is clarity with permanency and the requirements for integration, plans are ready to move forward," Cheryl Phillips, M.D., CEO of the SNP Alliance, says in an email to AIS Health.
Phillips says plans may also be "working to better position themselves" for managed long-term services and supports, as states sharpen their focus on rebalancing their long-term care populations and shift more of the responsibility to managed care organizations.
A review of the new D-SNP offerings for 2020 indicates that larger players such as Anthem, Inc., Centene Corp., Humana Inc., Molina Healthcare, Inc. and UnitedHealthcare are leading the charge, but numerous plans have been introduced on a local level.
For instance, UCare, the largest provider of SNPs in Minnesota, said it is expanding its UCare Connect + Medicare plans to mirror the 62-county UCare Connect service area. And Priority Health is preparing to launch its first D-SNP, which will serve all 68 counties of Michigan's lower peninsula.
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