SCAN Health Plan Members With Hearing Loss Will Save Thousands in Out-of-Pocket Costs With New 2017 Hearing Aid Benefit

LONG BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#SCANHealthPlan–The majority of SCAN Health Plan members with hearing loss will be able
to avail themselves of significant savings on new hearing aids thanks to
a 2017 benefit being introduced by the not-for-profit Medicare Advantage
health plan.

The new benefit includes a routine hearing exam, hearing aid fitting and
evaluation, and two hearing aids per calendar year with a simple
copayment of $699 or $999 per hearing aid, depending on the hearing aid
selected. This is a significant out-of-pocket savings when compared with
the average retail price of two hearing aids, which is approximately
$4,700 per pair according to the National Academies of Sciences report
on hearing aid affordability.

“The high cost of hearing aids has put them out of reach for many of our
members,” said Cathy Batteer, senior vice president and general manager
at SCAN. “We know how important good hearing is to overall health and
independence, and that’s why we developed such a robust benefit for
2017.”

More than 48 million Americans suffer from hearing loss, according to
the Hearing Loss Association of America, but only about 20 percent of
them address the problem. Studies have shown that untreated hearing loss
can contribute to other more serious health conditions, such as
depression, cognitive decline, and an increased risk of falls, all of
which are serious concerns for seniors. On the other hand people who
address their hearing loss by wearing hearing aids lower their risk of
developing dementia, have improved balance, and report higher levels of
happiness and satisfaction with their lives.

The new benefit is offered through TruHearing, which has a contracted
network of more than 3,800 hearing professionals across the country. The
hearing aids offered to SCAN members feature the latest advances in
hearing aid technology, such as wireless connectivity to a smart phone
or tablet, feedback suppression, directionality, speech enhancement, and
multichannel programming.

“This benefit really resonated with our senior advocate team—these are
SCAN members who provide important feedback to us throughout the year,”
said Batteer. “We understand their challenges and are so glad to provide
them a meaningful solution. Our members now have affordable access to
high-quality hearing aids as well as the personal care of a provider
before their hearing loss leads to more serious problems.”

SCAN’s 2017 benefit offerings also include a new Preferred Pharmacy
program offering lower copayments for prescription drugs and, in many
counties, giving plan members the option to pay $0 for many commonly
used generic drugs. In addition, all of SCAN’s Medicare Advantage
Prescription Drug plans feature all of the basic benefits traditionally
covered under Medicare with no deductibles and low copays for most
services. Other benefits include vision care and routine transportation.
The new hearing benefit applies to all SCAN members except those in
Ventura County and members of the Connections Plan in San Joaquin or
VillageHealth in Los Angeles/Orange counties.

In 2017 SCAN will continue to be available to Medicare-eligible
beneficiaries in 12 California counties: Los Angeles, Marin, Napa,
Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San
Joaquin, Santa Clara, Sonoma and Ventura.

The annual enrollment period for choosing a Medicare Advantage plan for
2017 runs from October 15 to December 7, 2016. During this time seniors
and others on Medicare may choose to switch their health plan or move
from traditional Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan (or move back to
original Medicare) with their new coverage taking effect January 1, 2017.

SCAN Health Plan is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit Medicare
Advantage plans with nearly 170,000 members in California. Part of the
SCAN family, SCAN Health Plan is committed to keeping seniors healthy
and independent. In addition to Medicare Advantage, SCAN Health Plan
also offers Special Needs Plans, including coverage for those who are
dually eligible for Medicare and Medi-Cal. For more information, visit
scanhealthplan.com, facebook.com/scanhealthplan, or follow us on twitter
@scanhealthplan.

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As governed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, member
benefits vary by county. More information is available at www.scan2017.com
or by calling 1-855-561-7226, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.
TTY/TDD users may call 711. SCAN Health Plan is an HMO plan with a
Medicare contract and a contract with the California Medi-Cal (Medicaid)
program. Enrollment in SCAN Health Plan depends on contract renewal.

You must continue to pay your Medicare Part B premium. This information
is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more
information. Limitations, copayments and restrictions may apply.
Benefits, premiums and/or copayments/co-insurance may change on January
1 of each year. The Formulary, pharmacy network and/or provider network
may change at any time. You will receive notice when necessary.

SCAN Health Plan complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and
does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age,
disability or sex. SCAN Health Plan cumple con las leyes federales de
derechos civiles aplicables y no discrimina por motivos de raza, color,
nacionalidad, edad, discapacidad o sexo. SCAN Health Plan
遵守適用的聯邦民權法律規定，不因種族、膚色、民族血統、年齡、殘障或性別而歧視 任何人。

ATTENTION: If you speak another language, language assistance services,
free of charge, are available to you. Call 1-855-561-7226. (TTY: 711).
ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos
de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-855-561-7226. (TTY: 711)
注意：如果您使用繁體中文，您可以免費獲得語言援助服務。請致電 1-855-561-7226 。（TTY：711）。

Contacts

SCAN Health Plan
Ross Goldberg, 818-597-8453, x-1