Pride flag

SCAN Health is launching a unique Medicare Advantage plan targeted exclusively to LGBTQ+ older adults. The SCAN Affirm plan will be available  in 2023 through a partnership with Included Health, an integrated virtual care and navigation platform.

“Older LGBTQ+ adults, who comprise the first generation to come out, have typically been overlooked and underserved by our healthcare system,” Sachin Jain, MD, president and CEO of SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan, said in a statement. “SCAN Affirm is our way of addressing the unique health and social needs of LGBTQ+ seniors so that they may receive the specialized, quality healthcare they need to age with dignity and respect.” 

Beneficiaries enrolled in SCAN Affirm will be supported by Included Health’s Communities program, a dedicated care concierge and healthcare navigation platform for underserved populations. The platform aims to improve health equity by improving member trust in healthcare, connecting them to high-quality, affirming care, increasing healthcare literacy and confidence and reducing care avoidance. Members will also have access to behavioral health services and on-demand virtual visits. 

Members in Los Angeles and Riverside Counties in California will be able to take advantage of the plan. 

The pool of potential enrollees could be large. Researchers estimate the number of older Americans  and older who identify as LGBTQ is approximately 2.4 million. That number is expected to grow significantly over the next few years as the nation’s 72 million baby boomers age into the Medicare system. 245

Long Beach, CA-based SCAN Health Plan has been working aggressively to close healthcare equity gaps. Last year, the company tied executive bonuses to increased medication adherence among Blacks and Hispanics in its MA plans. LGBTQ older adults may be disproportionately affected by poverty, as well as physical and mental conditions due to stressors associated with being a minority, according to the American Psychological Association.