Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Kroger Health Offer Plans that Include Allowance to Help Consumers Purchase Groceries and Popular Health Items
October 21 2021 - 7:18AM
Business Wire
New 2022 Medicare Advantage plans created by
companies will address drivers of health, including food as
medicine
Employing their complementary experiences in helping individuals
lead healthier lives, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio and
Kroger Health, the healthcare division of the Kroger Co. (NYSE:
KR), will offer new 2022 Medicare Advantage plans with benefits and
services to address an individual’s whole-health needs and
wellbeing. Eligible members enrolled in one of these plans will
have benefit allowances that can be used at Kroger Family Stores to
buy nutritious food as well as health and wellness items.
“Anthem and Kroger Health share the goals of improving access to
cost-effective healthcare services, driving health outcomes
improvement, and simplifying the healthcare experience,” said Neil
Steffens, President of Anthem’s Medicare Central Region. “Anthem
brings decades of experience working with consumers, clinicians,
health systems, and other stakeholders to ensure health plans
members have access to the care and services they need.”
Eligible members in one of these new Medicare Advantage plans,
called Anthem MediBlue + Kroger Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP) and
Anthem MediBlue + Kroger Access (PPO), will be given a Healthy
Groceries Card, which will be loaded with up to $75 per month. They
will be able to use the card to purchase healthy groceries at
Kroger, reducing their monthly out-of-pocket costs and helping them
achieve a balanced and nutritious diet.
These eligible members will also be given a quarterly allowance
to spend on over the counter (OTC), health items at Kroger. This
benefit will help members reduce their out-of-pocket healthcare
costs because they will be able to use their OTC allowance on
everyday health-related items, like first aid supplies, support
braces, and pain relievers, instead of paying for the items with
their own funds.
In addition, Kroger Health’s 2,200 pharmacies are in Anthem’s
preferred network, which will also help reduce out-of-pocket costs
for members compared to using pharmacies outside of their
network.
“By partnering with Anthem, we are able to offer seniors in our
communities access to affordable high quality healthcare services.
And through the enhanced nutrition and OTC benefit, we can also
provide preventive care using food as medicine,” said Jim Kirby,
senior director of business development for Kroger Health. “Food
and nutrition education are critical components of not only
treating disease but preventing it before it starts.”
Eligible members will also have access to the plan’s Healthy
Pantry benefit. With this benefit, members will have access to up
to 12 monthly sessions with a Kroger Health dietitian who can
provide nutritional education support. These members will also
receive a monthly delivery of pantry staples from the grocer to
help them make dietary changes.
Individuals who are interested in enrolling in a 2022 Medicare
Advantage plan can do so during this year’s Medicare Annual
Election Period (AEP). The AEP begins October 15, 2021, and
continues through December 7, 2021, and gives consumers enrolled in
Medicare Parts A and B the opportunity to sign up for Anthem’s 2022
Medicare Advantage plans.
These plans will be available to Medicare-eligible residents in
the following counties: Butler, Clermont, Greene, Hamilton,
Montgomery, and Warren.
For more details about these health plan benefits and Anthem’s
Medicare plans, consumers can call (855) 878-1109, which is
available 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, April 1 to Sept.
30; and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week, Oct. 1 to March 31.
Individuals can also visit the company’s online store at
https://shop.anthem.com/medicare.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is an HMO plan with a Medicare
contract. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is an HMO DSNP plan
with a Medicare contract and a contract with the Ohio Medicaid
program. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is an LPPO plan with a
Medicare contract. Enrollment in Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
depends on contract renewal. We do not discriminate, exclude
people, or treat them differently on the basis of race, color,
national origin, sex, age or disability in our health programs and
activities. 注意:如果您使用繁體中文,您可以免費獲得語言援助服務。請致電1-888-230-7338(TTY:711)。
ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios
gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-888-230-7338 (TTY:
711). ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios
gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-888-230-7338 (TTY:
711). This plan is available to anyone who has both Medical
Assistance from the State and Medicare.
About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Community
Insurance Company an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue
Shield Association. ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem
Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and
symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and
Blue Shield in Ohio is available at www.anthem.com. Also, follow us
on Twitter at www.twitter.com/anthemBCBS and on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/AnthemBlueCrossBlueShield.
About Kroger Health
Kroger Health, the healthcare division of The Kroger Co., is one
of America's leading retail healthcare organizations, with over
2,200 pharmacies and 220 clinics in 35 states serving more than 14
million customers. Our team of 22,000 healthcare practitioners -
from pharmacists and nurse practitioners, to dietitians and
technicians – are committed to helping people live healthier lives.
We believe in practicing at the top of our licenses and enabling
"food as medicine" to help prevent or manage certain diseases. We
are dedicated to providing testing and wellness services to help
Americans combat the COVID-19 crisis. Learn more at
www.krogerhealth.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211021005008/en/
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Hieu Nguyen (202) 510-8848
hieu.nguyen2@anthem.com
Kroger Health Shaunte Russell (937) 430-0288
shaunte.russell@kroger.com
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