Alignment Healthcare Introduces Medicare Advantage Plans, ACCESS On-Demand Concierge to Research Triangle Region

Medicare Advantage company brings Alignment Health Plan to North Carolina in 2021, expanding services to Chatham, Johnston counties

RALEIGH, N.C., & ORANGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alignment Healthcare, an award-winning Medicare Advantage company that has served the greater Raleigh area since 2014, is offering Alignment Health Plan options with socially conscious benefits for the first time to seniors in North Carolina this Medicare open enrollment period starting Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. The company, which now provides medical and managed care services to patients at Alignment Healthcare Centers in Wake County, will offer three Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans – all of which include Alignment’s ACCESS On-Demand Concierge program and black benefits card – with coverage starting Jan. 1, 2021.

North Carolina has become a popular retirement destination for seniors. By 2025, one in five residents in North Carolina will be 65 or older, and in the next two decades, seniors aged 75-84 will be the fastest-growing segment in the state.¹

“Alignment’s products and services have always focused on putting seniors first,” said Dawn Maroney, president of consumer and markets, Alignment Healthcare. “We want to ensure that seniors have access to the care and service they deserve, which is why our benefit design goes beyond traditional medical benefits to include assistance with social determinant challenges like food insecurity and loneliness.”

Among the three HMO options from Alignment Health Plan – all of which offer $0 telehealth visits – is the Platinum plan, a $0 premium HMO point of service plan that offers more flexibility and affordability for seniors. Platinum plan benefits include:

• $0 copay for covered generic prescription drugs
• $0 copay for transportation to doctor appointments within 30 miles
• A $40 monthly allowance for eligible over-the-counter (OTC) items such as diabetes care accessories and cold and allergy medicine

Other plan options include NC Premier, a $0 premium HMO, and NCPlus, an HMO designed for those enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare, which includes enhanced dental benefits and $100 monthly OTC allowance. Depending on the plan selected, Alignment Health Plan North Carolina members will have access to benefits that directly assist them with social challenges that many seniors face – challenges such as food insecurity, loneliness and lack of transportation that may affect health outcomes:

• Pet care and boarding for eligible members who are hospitalized or experience an emergency and need pet care while they are away
• Personal emergency response systems (PERS) that provide eligible members who live alone or at risk of a fall access to emergency assistance with the push of a button
• Fitness memberships with local gyms and fitness classes – or access online at-home workouts – all at no extra cost

“Alignment Healthcare was founded on a culture of service, to treat our members as if they were our mom and dad and provide them with affordable, high quality care that improves their health and quality of life,” said John Kao, founder and CEO, Alignment Healthcare. “We’re excited to have the opportunity to offer even more value to Medicare beneficiaries through a variety of expanded benefits, emphasizing access to care and service when and where you need it.”

Alignment’s partnership with UNC Health, the nonprofit system owned by the state of North Carolina comprising the University of North Carolina’s health enterprise, also gives plan members access to more than 300 board-certified primary and specialty care physicians in the UNC network. North Carolina Medicare beneficiaries who enroll with Alignment Health Plan can seek “in-network” care with those UNC physicians.

Launched in 2019, Alignment’s ACCESS On-Demand Concierge program provides members a personal concierge team who can connect them to a board-certified doctor by phone or video, schedule medical appointments, arrange transportation and answer health care questions⁠ 24 hours a day, seven days a week – all with single phone number. Members can also use their “black card” to purchase eligible OTC and grocery items at more than 50,000 retailers across the country, including CVS, Walgreens and Walmart. For more information, visit www.alignmenthealthplan.com.

About Alignment Healthcare

Alignment Healthcare is redefining the business of health care by shifting the focus from payments to people. We have created a new model for health care delivery that cuts costs and improves lives by unraveling the inefficiencies of the current system to drive patients, providers and payers toward a common goal of wellness. Harnessing best practices from Medicare Advantage, our innovative data-management technology allows us to commit to caring for seniors and those who need it most: the chronically ill and frail. Alignment Healthcare provides partners and patients with customized care and service where they need it and when they need it, including clinical coordination, risk management and technology facilitation. Alignment Healthcare offers health plan options through Alignment Health Plan, and also partners with select health plans to help deliver better benefits at lower costs. For more information, please visit www.alignmenthealthcare.com.

¹ https://obxcommongood.org/aging-population/