Popular Medicare Advantage health plans with affordable monthly premiums highlight 2011 Humana offerings
New prescription-drug plan co-branded with Walmart features nation’s lowest monthly premium
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) will offer a wide variety of Medicare Advantage (MA) and Prescription Drug Plans (PDP) to people with Medicare in 2011, including the new Humana Walmart-Preferred Rx Plan (PDP) that offers the nation’s lowest monthly premium in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Humana will offer people with Medicare choices that include MA plans with more benefits than Original Medicare, an affordable monthly premium, an extensive list of doctors in many areas, and predictable costs that are easy to budget.
The Annual Election Period when Medicare beneficiaries will select their Medicare coverage for 2011 runs from Nov. 15 through Dec. 31, 2010. In recent years, people with Medicare were allowed to change plans during the first three months of the year. Beginning in 2011, the January-to-March enrollment period has been eliminated.
“At a time when people are still coping with the impact of our challenging economy, especially senior citizens and disabled people living on a fixed income, it is critical to have medical and prescription-drug coverage that’s affordable,” said Tom Liston, senior vice president, senior products, and the leader of Humana’s Medicare organization. “Humana continues to offer a variety of choices across the country enabling Medicare beneficiaries to select a plan that meets their needs while receiving comprehensive benefits and value people have come to expect from Humana.”
Medicare Advantage Plans
Humana’s MA plans can help people get more out of their health care dollar. Most Humana MA plans:
- Offer additional benefits beyond Original Medicare
- Have copayments offering predictable costs that are easy to budget no matter which health care services are used
- Come with worldwide coverage for emergency care
With drug coverage, health-and-wellness offerings and disease-management programs also available with MA coverage, Humana MA plans remain an excellent value in 2011. Plans, benefits and premiums vary by state and county. Plans include local and regional PPO plans, as well as HMO and Private Fee-For-Service plans. Humana is committed to informing its members of the various benefits and savings options that are available to them for 2011. All Humana MA plans have annual out-of-pocket maximums in 2011, protecting beneficiaries against catastrophic costs.
Benefits with most Humana MA plans include:
- Care coordination and disease-management programs
- Affordable deductibles
- Affordable copayments
- 24-hour nurse hotline
- SmartSummary Rx benefits statement (available to both MA and PDP members)
- No-cost preventive services
- No-cost diabetic-monitoring supplies, including test strips, lancets and glucometers
Well-Being Benefits for Members
Humana is dedicated to supporting its Medicare members on their lifelong pursuit of well-being. As evidence of this commitment, most Humana MA members enjoy access to programs that encourage healthy behaviors such as gym memberships through SilverSneakers or Silver & Fit, and the WellDine Food Program, which delivers meals following a hospitalization. Over the long-term, these programs aid members in achieving a greater quality of life.
Prescription Drug Plans
In all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, Humana offers stand-alone PDPs, meaning they’re separate from Medicare medical coverage. Stand-alone PDPs enable people with Medicare to add drug coverage to their Original Medicare coverage.
New this year is the Humana Walmart-Preferred Rx Plan, which features a monthly premium of just $14.80, making it the lowest-premium plan available in all 50 states and Washington D.C. Copayments start at just $2 for preferred generic prescriptions filled at any Walmart, Sam’s Club or Neighborhood Market pharmacy. Copayments of $0 are available for many generic drugs filled via Humana’s home-delivery (mail-order) pharmacy, RightSource. Humana and Walmart estimate that the new co-branded plan will save members an average of more than $450 a year.
People with Medicare who prefer first-dollar coverage (no annual deductible) for preferred generics and a broader network of pharmacies should consider Humana’s Enhanced PDP Plan. With more than 62,000 pharmacies in Humana’s national pharmacy network, and $0 copayments for many generic drugs when using mail-order, this plan typically appeals to people who want that additional coverage.
Also New in 2011
In addition to the new Humana Walmart-Preferred Rx Plan (PDP), Humana is offering new MA plan options in multiple markets across the U.S. Here’s an overview of the various plan options Humana is offering for 2011:
- HMO plans in 27 states and Puerto Rico
- Local PPO plans in 39 states and Puerto Rico
- Regional PPO plans in 23 states (in 14 Medicare Advantage regions)
- Full−network Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans in 34 states. All services are available in and out of network, taking full advantage of any Humana contracted discounts when the member uses in-network providers.
- Partial-network PFFS plans (networked for ancillary services only) in 28 states
- Non-network PFFS plans in 2 states
- PDP offerings approved for 2011 are statewide in 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and include the new nationwide PDP co-branded with Walmart.
For more information about Humana’s 2010 Medicare offerings, visit www.humana-medicare.com or call toll free 1-800-611-1481. TTY users call 1-877-833-4486.
About Humana
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is one of the nation’s largest publicly traded health and supplemental benefits companies, with approximately 10.1 million medical members and approximately 7 million specialty-benefit members. Humana is a full-service benefits solutions company, offering a wide array of health and supplemental benefit plans for employer groups, government programs and individuals.
Over its 49-year history, Humana has consistently seized opportunities to meet changing customer needs. Today, the company is a leader in consumer engagement, providing guidance that leads to lower costs and a better health plan experience throughout its diversified customer portfolio.
More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s Web site at http://www.humana.com, including copies of:
- Annual reports to stockholders
- Securities and Exchange Commission filings
- Most recent investor conference presentations
- Quarterly earnings news releases
- Replays of most recent earnings release conference calls
- Calendar of events (includes upcoming earnings conference call dates and times, as well as planned interaction with research analysts and institutional investors)
- Corporate Governance Information
Health plans and stand-alone prescription drug plans with a Medicare contract available to anyone entitled to Part A and/or enrolled in Part B of Medicare (MA enrollees must be enrolled in both Part A and B of Medicare). Members must continue to pay their Medicare Part B premiums. Other retail and mail order pharmacies are available in the Humana network. Members must use network pharmacies, except under non-routine circumstances. Quantity limitations and restrictions may apply. If you are a member of a qualified State Pharmaceutical Assistance Program, please contact the Program to verify that the mail order pharmacy will coordinate with that Program. The benefit information provided herein is a brief summary, not a comprehensive description of benefits. Medicare beneficiaries may enroll in the plan only during specific times of the year. For more information contact the plan.
CONTACT:
Humana Inc.
Corporate Communications:
Jim Turner, 502-580-3221
[email protected]
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