Pandemic Predicted to Bring Potential Positives for Medicare

PITTSBURGH, June 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- While the healthcare industry and American economy struggle to adapt to the realities and consequences of COVID-19, Patrick Phillips, CEO of Cavulus, a leading technology firm serving the Medicare sector, views some long-term policy, clinical and customer service changes as potential positives for Medicare beneficiaries. He says the virus "is spotlighting policies and solutions that have been steadily creeping forward and may accelerate the adoption rate."

Medicare Expansion Proposals
One significant expectation is the reality that, even after the crisis ends, older Americans may find it difficult to secure work. Phillips points to recent proposals from the Democrats to expand Medicare eligibility from 65 to 60 years old.

"This would be a massive relief valve for Americans, and useful post-COVID when someone willingly exits the workforce prior to 65," says Phillips. "Expanding public and private Medicare options could mean the difference between $600 per month coverage with COBRA and ACA options versus premiums as low as $0 in Medicare Advantage." 

Telehealth Expansion
While the Democrat proposal is only on paper, Trump's Administration has enhanced Telehealth. "There's been a historic easing and expansion of Telehealth rules," states Phillips.

According to Phillips, these measures were necessary so clinicians can limit patient exposure by visiting them virtually in the safety of their homes. Phillips hopes easing of rules will continue so future patients in rural areas or with mobility issues can receive care easily.

Work From Home Trend
From a customer-service perspective, this situation forced adoption of "work-from-home" tools that will be useful long-term noted Phillips, who says his company fast-tracked the release of virtual telephony tools to facilitate customer service, sales and telephonic insurance enrollments from home. With growing concerns of a second wave, and U.S.-based virus cases at record highs, WFH may become the norm into 2021. 

"In March, our industry scrambled to find compliant solutions to enable a continuation of customer service and Medicare sales from home. We were able to fill that gap with the release of our new MedicareVIP product." 

ABOUT CAVULUS - Cavulus is a technology driven specialist in Medicare Advantage insurance solutions. The Cavulus Cloud-based Medicare Advantage Platform (Cavulus MAP™) unifies marketing, sales and enrollment operations, and is utilized by many of America's top insurers, including several BlueCross/BlueShield companies, UPMC Health Plan, Johns Hopkins Healthcare, Lumeris and United Healthcare. For details: www.cavulus.com.  
Inquiries: 800-760-6915  Email: info@cavulus.com

SOURCE Cavulus