NationsBenefits, LLC, a supplemental benefits company, announced it is joining forces with ADT, a provider of security, automation, and smart home solutions serving consumer and business customers in the United States. According to the company’s announcement, it will be expanding its offering to include Personal Emergency Response Services (PERS) for Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D Plans for plan year 2021. This is the latest supplemental benefit in the company’s offering, and it is being introduced with the NationsResponse brand name.

The company’s expansion is said to be largely tied to updated guidance and increased flexibility provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which results in MA plans offering more supplemental benefits for 2020 and beyond. This includes hearing coverage, OTC drugs, transportation, meals, and other supplemental services that promote health and wellness. Plans are now permitted to offer benefits such as adult day care services, in-home support services, support for caregivers of enrollees, PERS, and more.

This partnership creates strategic, financial and service-level advantages for health plans looking for new ways to attract and retain enrollees:

  • Increased competitiveness: Enables millions of enrollees to have access to and enroll in medical alert solutions, also known as Personal Emergency Response Services (PERS). The benefit will include ADT Medical Alert in-home base units and On-The-Go systems (wristband and pendant options, including fall detection*) with help buttons and professional monitoring service provided by ADT, at a reduced rate.
  • Streamlined customer experience: Positions both companies and their national brands with “best-in-class management expertise in a go-to-market strategy with a broader customer base to administer a comprehensive new benefit with a differentiated member service model.”
  • Improved member health outcomes: Introduces educational interventions delivered during critical intervals, to maximize the quality of care provided and prove “substantial, long-term health outcomes to members and decreased healthcare spending for health plans.”

“It’s an incredible opportunity and an honor to work with ADT and bring to market a PERS benefit with an unparalleled member experience from two leading brands, which are deeply committed to the health and well-being of those we serve,” said Glenn M. Parker, MD, Founder and CEO of NationsBenefits. “The rise of supplemental benefits across Medicare Advantage plans is quite remarkable, and we’re proud to be a pioneer in the healthcare industry with emerging benefits that deliver significant value to our health plan partners and their membership all the while driving improved health outcomes.”

“We’re very proud to help provide safety and peace of mind through ADT Health products and services to NationsBenefits’ members and their customers,” said Jim Boyce, President, Chief Business Development Officer of ADT. “ADT Health helps people live independently, for longer, through the use of aging-in-place technologies like ADT Medical Alert and On-The-Go, which are backed by our 24/7 professional monitoring.”

The PERS benefit administered by NationsResponse will allow two-way voice connectivity to ADT monitoring centers with the solutions being offered. This will be especially helpful for seniors who live independently to “maintain an active lifestyle on their terms while gaining added protection in the event of an emergency, or when safety or personal security is compromised.”

NationsBenefits currently has two distinct offerings that can be selected by health plans on a standalone basis or combined to attract and retain enrollees during the Annual Enrollment Period, while aiming to improve their bottom line:

  • NationsHearing® helps provide a “custom hearing aid benefit and hearing services program focused on improving health outcomes through better hearing and decreasing costs related to associated comorbidities of hearing loss, which can ultimately lower overall healthcare spending.”
  • NationsOTC® helps provide CMS-compliant, over-the-counter benefits administration services to health plans seeking “an affordable, comprehensive solution in supplemental OTC services and product fulfillment via mail order and retail using approved plan allowance.”

The PERS benefit and corresponding service program being introduced by the company for plan year 2021 can be fully customized for health plans or cobranded with NationsResponse. ADT operates nine US-based, owned, and operated professional monitoring centers, serving the needs of its health, security, and life safety of customers.

*Fall detection pendant does not detect 100% of falls.

Source: NationsBenefits