Many people — including older adults — associate their health and well-being with medical appointments, checkups, or condition management. However, taking care of one's well-being starts long before a doctor's visit. Global leaders note that around 80% of a person’s health is influenced by social drivers like access to healthy food, transportation, and housing. Given that over 15 million older Americans are economically insecure, retiree health is a growing public health concern.
Retirees Face Unique Care Challenges
Older adults encounter distinct health needs that can easily escalate to larger challenges if left unmet. As many as 95% of older adults have at least one chronic condition, and 80% have two or more chronic conditions. According to the same source, chronic conditions account for as much as 93% of Medicare spending — but that spending only addresses a fraction of growing medical costs.
As seniors age and strive to manage chronic conditions, they often encounter rising prescription drug costs. Nearly nine out of 10 older adults regularly take at least one prescription medicine, and over half report taking four or more prescription drugs. Considering the number of medications needed — and escalating drug prices — Medicare spending on prescription drugs has nearly tripled, from $85 billion in 2009 to $240 billion in 2020. Since more adults are aging into Medicare each year, retiree well-being is a growing concern due to the potential for further drug cost escalations.
While prescription drugs can help address symptoms, significant changes in healthcare spending cannot come without a holistic view of health. Physical and mental health support is another important aspect of preserving retiree well-being, as these facets of health are linked and can impact each other. One out of every four seniors has a behavioral health condition, which can significantly impact both present and future health.
Additionally, almost one-third of older Americans live by themselves, making them more likely to experience concerns like poverty, loneliness, and isolation. Living alone also increases the likelihood of unnoticed health symptoms or a lack of self-care.
Understanding retirees’ unique care needs is the first step in providing connected, inclusive, and robust healthcare support. The strong correlation between individual health and social determinants highlights ways to help seniors access healthy living support, preventive care resources, and ongoing condition management tools.
Value-Added Benefits Address Common Barriers To Care
Trusted partners like Anthem are taking a whole-health approach to healthcare, developing innovative approaches to drive better health outcomes through cost-effective solutions.
Value-added benefits like the Social Drivers of Health program and Behavioral Health program are just two examples of how Anthem empowers retirees to proactively tend to their health. Armed with resources to overcome common healthcare barriers, retirees can see improvements in their overall well-being and quality of life.
Several of these solutions focus on universal barriers to care. For instance, the Healthy Meals program addresses the social barrier of limited access to food. This program delivers no-cost, nutritionally-balanced meals to retirees who have been recently discharged from the hospital, or those with a very high or low body mass index (BMI).
Other solutions target care barriers within distinct populations, such as support for people with cancer. The Cancer Care Navigator program helps retirees navigate a cancer diagnosis, treatment options, and the need for resources like transportation or food. Leveraging predictive analytics to proactively identify those most likely to need additional support, the Cancer Care Navigator program helps deliver the right resources at the right time — encouraging enhanced outcomes while also lowering costs.
For retirees with limited transportation options, Nonemergency Transportation offers a valuable service by providing transportation to medical appointments, pharmacies, or local SilverSneakers® facilities. Community Connected Care addresses additional requirements, such as housing, by seamlessly integrating social support coordination with healthcare delivery.
This suite of comprehensive whole-health solutions provides tailored resources to meet retirees' needs.
Enhanced Health Outcomes Are Possible
Efforts to remove social barriers to care for older adults have demonstrated measurable positive impacts. According to Anthem internal data, removing at least one social barrier makes seniors almost five times more likely to schedule and complete their annual primary care visit. This can help care providers identify the next-best health actions and proactively schedule earlier interventions. Additionally, older adults who engaged in preventive visits were two and a half times more likely to have a healthier BMI, and more than two times as likely to complete screening exams for conditions like diabetes or colorectal cancer.
As employees age, they’re looking at more than how to maximize their retirement savings. They need security and a sense that their health needs will be met. Employers now have cost-effective options to directly address social drivers of health and retiree well-being, including ways to promote accessible care for all. With health partners like Anthem, retirees can have both the support they need to maintain their health, and the possibility of a more fulfilling and active retirement.