Tuggers of a certain age -- does your medical insurance set up in home visits?

[clifffaith]

Last year Cliff (soon to be 82) blew off the HealthNet nurse because they were coming multiple times a year. He's not infirm and living alone or in little old man squalor with an empty refrigerator, so I'd have thought a visit every other year would have been enough after the first year. He changed to Aetna this year, so Monday afternoon a doctor is coming for an in-home visit. He sees our GP 3-4 times a year, and the urologist twice a year, so it's not like he never sees a doctor. We wish they'd spend their resources on getting him in for skin cancer surgeries sooner than a three month wait.

 

[bogey21]

My take is that the insurance company is proactively trying to understand who they are insuring. From their standpoint, probably not a bad idea...

George

 

[Luanne]

No, my insurance (Medicare and Medicare Supplement F) do not provide this service. We could have gone with a concierge service from our doctor, at an additional cost, and he would have made home visits. We opted not to do this.

 

[clifffaith]

My take is that the insurance company is proactively trying to understand who they are insuring. From their standpoint, probably not a bad idea...

George

It did occur to me they might be trying to catch smokers who claimed to be non-smokers. I can sort of understand one visit, but not multiple visits per year.

 

[stmartinfan]

We have Humana as a Medicare Advantage plan and last year they had a subcontractor who called repeatedly to try to set up some kind of in home assessment. I think it was with a nurse, but it may just have been some sort of medical assistant. We also are in generally good health, see our doctors regularly and live in a safe home. (I'm not yet at a point where I need to get rid of any throw rug on my floor and install a shower wall bar.) I kept turning them down but got annoyed at their persistence...I'm sure they were getting paid by Humana for each visit scheduled, but how many times do you need to call before you accept “no.” I'd have appreciated a lower monthly rate instead.

We have Humana again this year, but haven't gotten called yet, so maybe they got rid of the program.

 

[Passepartout]

We keep getting these robocalls asking stuff that's clearly in their OWN records- (Have you gotten your flu shot?) and the calls always come at inconvenient times. So far, though, they stay away.

 

[Ski-Dad]

It's called proactive health care. They are focusing on the customer's age and this quantifies as more likely to show up in in emergency room. For the same reason an under 25 male is a greater risk of a car accident.

A home visit by a Physician, Nurse Practioner or other health professional within a community based primary care practice dramatically reduces the incidence of emergency room visits. Emergency room visits are very expensive. I was studying a simliar program within the past year and the data indicated a 91% reduction in emergency room visits. It saves $$$, but also better care and outcomes for the patient.

 

[VacationForever]

Last year Cliff (soon to be 82) blew off the HealthNet nurse because they were coming multiple times a year. He's not infirm and living alone or in little old man squalor with an empty refrigerator, so I'd have thought a visit every other year would have been enough after the first year. He changed to Aetna this year, so Monday afternoon a doctor is coming for an in-home visit. He sees our GP 3-4 times a year, and the urologist twice a year, so it's not like he never sees a doctor. We wish they'd spend their resources on getting him in for skin cancer surgeries sooner than a three month wait.

Is his Aetna plan a HMO plan?

 

[clifffaith]

Is his Aetna plan a HMO plan?

Yes.

 

[VacationForever]

Yes.

I wonder because if it is a PPO plan, you should be able to find a doctor that will take care of his skin cancer sooner. Maybe something that you want to look into at the next open enrollment.

 

[pedro47]

No my health plan does not provide this service. Good question.
But I will check.?

 

[rapmarks]

Our Medicare advantage plan includes one home visit a year from a nurse practitioner

 

[geekette]

It did occur to me they might be trying to catch smokers who claimed to be non-smokers. I can sort of understand one visit, but not multiple visits per year.

that would be an enormous waste of resources and insulting to assume that your clients are liars.

I would expect it is more of an early detection system that maybe insured is not doing ok on their own.

 

[simpsontruckdriver]

As a Licensed Health Insurance Agent, I know that insurers (Aetna, Humana, AARP United Healthcare, etc) are trying to do all they can to cut costs. The president can say he just wrote an executive order that will save money, but the way Medicare is set up, any premium/deductible changes won't happen until January (sold in AEP - Oct 15 to Dec 7 - but go into effect in January). If they can stop ER/hospitalizations or big medical bills, they will do it. That's also why many now have the ability to meet with doctors online instead of going to an office. And mail-order pharmacies save money also, where a 3-month supply (except opioids and specialty meds) can save $$$.

Essentially, they will save you and the insurer, so take it or leave it. Your choice.

TS

 

[Karen G]

Sometimes a housecall can be a good thing. I know this isn't the same thing the OP posted about, but we recently used https://www.dispatchhealth.com for a home visit when both my husband and I had bad colds & coughs that we thought might be bronchitis. Our Medicare and supplement insurance covered the very thorough visit by two health care professionals. They assessed our conditions, prescribed medications, and ordered x-rays to be sure it wasn't anything more serious. A guy came to the house with a portable x-ray machine the next day. They gave us the first doses of the medications while at our house so that we didn't have to go to the pharmacy until the next day. Both of us recovered after the medications and we really appreciated not having to leave our house when we felt so bad.

On their website they say they can handle just about anything for which one would go to an Urgent Care facility. They aren't in every area yet, but the cities where they operate are on their website down at the bottom under "locations."

 

[VacationForever]

Sometimes a housecall can be a good thing. I know this isn't the same thing the OP posted about, but we recently used https://www.dispatchhealth.com for a home visit when both my husband and I had bad colds & coughs that we thought might be bronchitis. Our Medicare and supplement insurance covered the very thorough visit by two health care professionals. They assessed our conditions, prescribed medications, and ordered x-rays to be sure it wasn't anything more serious. A guy came to the house with a portable x-ray machine the next day. They gave us the first doses of the medications while at our house so that we didn't have to go to the pharmacy until the next day. Both of us recovered after the medications and we really appreciated not having to leave our house when we felt so bad.

On their website they say they can handle just about anything for which one would go to an Urgent Care facility. They aren't in every area yet, but the cities where they operate are on their website down at the bottom under "locations."

Which insurer carrier and which doctor?

 

[Karen G]

Which insurer carrier and which doctor?

We have regular Medicare and a supplement with USAA and both together covered the visit. I don't remember the name of the doctor who came. On their website they show which insurance companies they take.

I wanted to add that this housecall service isn't just for Medicare members. Our daughter used them before we did when she and our two grandkids, ages 5 & 7, all were sick with brochitis and ear infections (probably where we caught it!). It was great for her to have a housecall when she was just as sick as the two kids were.

 

[VacationForever]

Never mind. I just saw the link.