HHS Secretary: 'We Want to Go Further' With Medicare Advantage In-Home Benefits

If Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar has his way, Medicare Advantage plans could get even more flexibility to address social determinants of health for beneficiaries, reports Home Health Care News . In turn, that could result in even greater opportunities for home care providers to offer and be reimbursed for such services as companion care, bathing, and transportation. Azar said earlier this week during the Medicare Advantage (MA) Summit in Washington, D.C., "Our system can often be penny-wise and pound-foolish, spending generously on health care without considering how health could be improved by addressing non-health needs." As of late, the federal government has made efforts to change that by permitting Medicare Advantage plans to cover an array of non-medical needs. To be sure, the cohort of patients who can receive such services remains somewhat limited. But that could change. Azar told summit attendees: "You've already seen one effort to address social determinants through new supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage, like home-delivered meals, transportation, and home modifications. We want to go further."