Respected senior organization provides screening service to leading health benefits company

WASHINGTON, D.C. and LOUISVILLE, Ky. – November 12, 2007 — The National Council on Aging (NCOA) has finalized an agreement with Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), one of the nation’s largest health benefits companies, to make available to Humana’s 4.6 million Medicare members a private-label version of NCOA’s Benefits CheckUp®, the nation’s most comprehensive, web-based service focused primarily on identifying benefits programs for which older Americans with limited income and resources may be eligible.

Benefits CheckUp (www.BenefitsCheckUp.org/Humana) screens seniors for eligibility for benefits programs that help pay for medical costs, prescription drugs, heating bills, housing or rent, meals, legal services, and in-home services.

"Humana values NCOA’s focus on improved health and self-care skills and enhanced ability for seniors to live in communities with dignity, choice and financial security," said Gail Miller, Humana’s vice president of product strategy and development, senior products. "This complements our commitment to enable our members to be empowered, active and productive, to remain independent, to live full lives, to continue to learn, and to turn their wishes and desires into highly-valued experiences and accomplishments."

Miller added, "I cannot imagine any program or service better suited than what NCOA offers with its BenefitsCheckUp to help our members identify public and private programs."

Since 2001, two million older Americans, caregivers and people who work with seniors have used BenefitsCheckUp to screen for assistance programs. The total value of benefits found through the service to date is nearly $6 billion dollars.

"BenefitsCheckUp will enable Humana’s members to quickly find and, in some cases, apply for benefits they might not have known about previously — all without leaving home," said Stuart Spector, NCOA’s senior vice president of benefits access.

To learn more about how forming a relationship with NCOA can help improve life for older Americans, contact Molly Dworken at 202-479-6668 or visit www.BenefitsCheckUp.org.

# # #

About Humana Inc.

Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the nation’s largest publicly traded health benefits companies, with approximately 11.3 million medical members. Humana offers a diversified portfolio of health insurance products and related services — through traditional and consumer-choice plans — to employer groups, government-sponsored plans, and individuals.

About NCOA

The National Council on Aging’s mission is to improve the lives of older Americans. NCOA programs help older people remain healthy and independent, find jobs, access benefits programs, and discover meaningful ways to continue contributing to society. A non-profit organization with a national network of more than 14,000 organizations and leaders, NCOA was founded in 1950 and is based in Washington, DC. For more information about NCOA, please visit http://www.NCOA.org.

Media Contacts:

NCOA: Scott Parkin, scottparkin@ncoa.org
(202) 479-6975

Humana: Dick Brown, dbrown@humana.com
502-580-3683
 

Filed under: News by bocharovvm
Comments Off

Online screening tool aids older Americans with benefit decision making

INDIANAPOLIS, IN AND WASHINGTON, DC – November 5, 2007 — WellPoint, Inc. (WellPoint) and the National Council on Aging (NCOA) announce a new collaboration to help WellPoint’s members with Medicare identify federal, state and other community programs for which they may qualify.

WellPoint will provide its Medicare members access to NCOA’s BenefitsCheckUp®. BenefitsCheckUp® is the nation’s most comprehensive Web-based service that helps individuals, most with limited income and resources, screen for benefits programs. BenefitsCheckUp® tracks over 1,550 benefits programs throughout all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Since its launch in 2001, BenefitsCheckUp® has screened over two million seniors and some younger persons with disabilities for programs that help pay for health care, prescription drugs, rent, utilities and many other needs.

"We are committed to bringing affordable, quality health care coverage to Medicare eligible beneficiaries," said Susan E. Rawlings, president of WellPoint’s Senior Business. "Our association with the National Council on Aging bolsters this commitment. Through this alliance, our Medicare customers will now have direct access to information on a vast array of public and private benefit programs to help address their health and social needs."

For example, through this service people with Medicare and limited means can find out if they qualify for and then apply for the Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidy that provides extra help with covering their prescription drug costs.

"This new relationship with WellPoint is one of many that NCOA is forming to expand the reach of BenefitsCheckUp®," said Stuart Spector, NCOA’s senior vice president of Benefits Access. "We are confident that through this association many more Medicare eligible beneficiaries will gain access to the benefits they need."

"BenefitsCheckUp® is an innovative Web-based service to help Medicare eligible beneficiaries gain information about their benefit choices and other resources so they can manage their health and other important aspects of their lives," said Rawlings.

About WellPoint, Inc.

WellPoint’s mission is to improve the lives of the people it serves and the health of its communities. WellPoint, Inc. is the largest health benefits company in terms of commercial membership in the United States. Through its nationwide networks, the company delivers a number of leading health benefit solutions through a broad portfolio of integrated health care plans and related services, along with a wide range of specialty products such as life and disability insurance benefits, pharmacy benefit management, dental, vision, behavioral health benefit services, as well as long term care insurance and flexible spending accounts. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, WellPoint is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and serves its members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as Empire Blue Cross or Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), Wisconsin; and through UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at www.wellpoint.com.

About NCOA

The National Council on Aging’s mission is to improve the lives of older Americans. NCOA programs help older people remain healthy and independent, find jobs, access benefits programs, and discover meaningful ways to continue contributing to society. A non-profit organization with a national network of more than 14,000 organizations and leaders, NCOA was founded in 1950 and is based in Washington, DC. For more information about NCOA, please visit http://www.NCOA.org.

Media Contacts:

WellPoint: Janice Kyser, (805) 557-6755
NCOA: Scott Parkin, (202) 479-6975

Investor Relations:
Michael Kleinman, (317) 488-6713

Filed under: News by bocharovvm
Comments Off

BenefitsCheckUp saves counties and their Medicare beneficiaries money

WASHINGTON, DC, November 1, 2007 – The National Council on Aging (NCOA) and Total Care, Inc., an outsourcing program serving as a resource to local agencies, have joined forces to help some of the neediest people with Medicare find and in some cases apply for federal, state and other benefits programs they may qualify for.

Total Care reports that 35%-45% of dual eligibles (people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid) who were auto-assigned a Part D Prescription Drug Plan may not be enrolled in the plan that is best for them. Total Care works with Medicare beneficiaries to enroll them in the Medicare Advantage or Part D plan that best meets their individual needs. The company’s services reduce costs for the counties and increases coverage for the beneficiary.

BenefitsCheckUp will streamline the process by which Total Care screens dual eligibles for both the Part D Extra Help (or Low Income Subsidy) and other needed benefits programs. "We used to have to go to the Social Security site as well as many other sources to get the information we need," said Lonn Klapper, operations manager for Total Care. "Using BenefitsCheckUp lets us get maximum benefits for people with limited means quickly and efficiently."

BenefitsCheckUp, developed by NCOA, is the nation’s most comprehensive online service that screens for public and private benefits programs that help with the costs of health care, medication, rent, utilities and other needs. It includes more than 1,550 public and private benefits programs from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Since 2001, two million people have used the service. The value of those benefits to the seniors, if they enrolled in the programs, is over $5 billion.

"Total Care is a unique organization meeting a real need," said Stuart Spector, NCOA’s senior vice president of Benefits Access. "Their certified benefit service coordinators help fill the gaps in Medicare coverage, and BenefitsCheckUp will expedite that process for them and their clients."

To learn more about how working with BenefitsCheckUp can help improve the lives of older Americans, contact Molly Dworken at 202-479-6668, or visit www.BenefitsCheckUp.org.

About NCOA

The National Council on Aging’s mission is to improve the lives of older Americans. NCOA programs help older people remain healthy and independent, find jobs, access benefits programs, and discover meaningful ways to continue contributing to society. A non-profit organization with a national network of more than 14,000 organizations and leaders, NCOA was founded in 1950 and is based in Washington, DC. For more information about NCOA, please visit http://www.NCOA.org.

About Total Care, Inc.

Total Care is a private, for-profit company founded to ensure that seniors receive the maximum benefits to which they are entitled and reduce their medication costs. The company assists seniors with enrollments in key public assistance programs such as the Low Income Subsidy. Their services are free to counties and to seniors, saving local governments money in case worker hours and providing additional money to county residents in savings and additional benefits.

Media Contact:

Scott Parkin
202-479-6975
scott.parkin@ncoa.org
 

Filed under: News by bocharovvm
Comments Off