Make sure your plan offers the benefits you need
By Patricia Nugent
With SummaCare’s new Family On-Demand program with Papa, help is just a phone call away. SummaCare Medicare Advantage members have access to Papa Pals who can provide such services as light housekeeping, grocery shopping, technology training and companionship to alleviate the loneliness that many of us are experiencing during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We knew we were on to something special when we began offering Papa to our members,” says Chauncey Quinn, director of Medicare and Individual Sales at SummaCare. “But, after hearing stories about how their Pals have become their friends, this has exceeded all of our expectations.”
Unique to SummaCare
SummaCare is the only plan in Ohio to offer this exclusive benefit with all 2021 SummaCare Medicare Advantage plans. “We’re so proud to be the first and only plan in Ohio to introduce this new benefit,” says Chauncey. “Our members are telling us that having someone to talk to during these months of being isolated by Covid has made all the difference.”
Members are matched with Pals who connect with them over the phone, computer or in-person. Understandably with Covid, most visits have been virtual, but Chauncey sees in-person visits starting to increase. “We’re now seeing a lot of grocery deliveries and other tasks that offer that in-person interaction,” says Chauncey. Members surveyed about Papa have indicated that they are definitely less lonely than before they enrolled in the program.
“My Papa Pal has become my friend. He’s almost like my amateur psychologist,” says Jeanette G., SummaCare member in North Jackson.
More Than Just Medical and Prescription Drug Coverage
The Papa program is just one of the many extra benefits that SummaCare Medicare Advantage plans offer. Chauncey talks about benefits that are not included with Original Medicare.
“We offer dental, vision, hearing aids and over-the-counter items, just to name a few,” he says. “With SummaCare, you only need one card to receive all of these services.”
“SummaCare is always listening to what our members are asking for and catering the benefits to match,” he continues. “Some of the most important benefits seniors request are vision, including exams, prescription lenses and contact lenses; hearing, including testing and state-of-the-art hearing aids; and prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, with co-pays as low as $0.”
According to Chauncey, hearing aids are so important to people, and through a partnership with a company called Homelink, they are able to offer Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids at a fraction of the cost, with maintenance included.
Making Informed Decisions Easy
As a regional leader in Medicare coverage, SummaCare makes it simple to get the information you need to make the best-informed decisions.
“People appreciate that when they call one of our advisors, they get someone from our area who understands their needs,” says Chauncey. “We’re big enough to tap into national programs, yet small enough to handle issues in a local way. Face-to-face communication is a dying art in our society, and we love it when people stop into our downtown Akron headquarters to chat with us personally so we can help understand their situation.”
Unlike bigger national carriers, SummaCare’s personal approach has paid off: 96% of Medicare members stay with them year after year. (The national average retention rate is 86%.)
Visit summacare.com/mimi for more information and to shop Medicare Advantage plans. To speak with a SummaCare Medicare Advisor, call 800-434-0968 (TTY 800-750-0750). H3660_21_211_M Accepted 03152021