GiftCard Partners Blog

Finding a strategy to keep Medicaid members engaged in healthy activities is not always easy. Medicaid members may have trouble with appointment attendance due to a lack of access to, or inability to pay for transportation; or, they are unable to take time off from work, which is often in arduous, blue-collar industries. 

Heart disease remains the #1 cause of death in the United States and creates an enormous burden for people, communities, and healthcare providers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 655,000 Americans die from heart disease each year, which is 1 in every 4 deaths (Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, 2020).  

Medicaid and Medicare payers and accountable care organizations (ACOs) strategize all year about how to get members to attend their annual health screenings. However, due to employment commitments, lack of transportation, fear of contracting COVID-19, and even lack of education on the importance of yearly screenings, many members need to be incentivized to schedule and attend annual screenings and preventive care check-ups.

The rate of people with chronic health conditions is growing and, unfortunately, people often have more than one condition. Half of adult Americans have at least one chronic condition, and more than two thirds of Medicare patients have two or more, according to a 2019 Premier analysis of emergency rooms across the country.

Do you use your health plan as a trusted advisor to guide your healthy lifestyle initiatives? If you do, you’re not alone. Health plan enrollees, especially those enrolled in public health plans like Medicaid, look for guidance and incentive reinforcement on how to live a healthy lifestyle. This interaction is crucial as it not only encourages healthy behavior but also helps reduce overall plan costs.