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Using Medicare To Promote Nutrition

By  Senior Market Advisors  on September 27, 2017

Using Medicare To Promote Nutrition

As a Medicare sales agent, you’re not just selling products – you’re providing seniors and Medicare eligibles with the care and coverage that they need to live their best life. One way to both promote yourself and help your clients is to promote the nutrition and preventative care benefits that are included in most Medicare plans.

Preventative Benefits

Remind your clients that Medicare is not just for fighting illness or injury. It also covers well-visits, vaccinations (like flu shots), and screenings and tests. All Part B Medicare clients will receive one covered wellness visit when they first enroll in Medicare, called “Welcome To Medicare,” as well as yearly well-visits each year. There is no deductible for more common screenings and tests (diabetes, nutrition, alcohol abuse, depression, STIs, HIV).

By visiting their doctor for yearly well visits and tests, your clients are much less likely to develop sudden, life-threatening, and expensive illnesses and injuries. It will keep their costs and worries down, allowing them to pay their premiums on time and stay healthy.

Incentives 

The financial incentive to stay healthy is one of the best parts of the health care system. Some plans offer gym membership discounts or premium cuts according to regular health check-ins. Additionally, Medicare Advantage beneficiaries can take advantage of the SilverSneakers benefit – free fitness classes with other seniors and Medicare eligibles.

The Future

It’s highly likely that in ten years, health insurers will be tracking the groceries we buy and raising or lowering premiums based on our efforts to stay healthy. The idea has been circulating since 2013, but privacy concerns have pushed it back. Ultimately, the goal is to create a healthier America while allowing insurers to make better premium decisions based on risk. It could be years before this happens, if it does at all.