Championing Seniors in a New Era of Aging

With just a few swipes on our smartphones, we can quickly buy a new favorite shirt, order dinner or hail a ride. We’ve grown quite accustomed to getting what we want when we want it. That desire for personalized convenience applies to our health and wellness, too. We want a higher-level experience with products and services that address our physical, social and emotional needs.

Like most consumers, today’s seniors expect more. But unlike the retail, restaurant or entertainment industries, health care is still playing catch up to meet those higher expectations.

With an estimated 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, the wave of seniors demanding better care is swelling. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the 65 and over population grew nearly five times faster than the total population from 1920 to 2020. What’s more, our lifespans are increasing. This year alone, Alignment Health helped 50 members celebrate a new milestone - reaching 100 years old.

Traditional health care isn’t set up for a new mindset with higher expectations. Traditional health care delivery isn’t designed for personalization and convenience, especially for seniors. Companies that want to be successful with this growing population must commit to changes. Changes that not only complement the new senior mindset but also meet them where they are in their health journeys.

At Alignment Health, we’re encountering a refreshing generation of seniors breaking previous norms and redefining what it means to grow older. They won’t let their age define them. Instead, they choose to live healthier, happier, more vibrant lives. As such, they want to partner with organizations and companies that champion aging well. It all starts with listening. As one of the most trusted brand names in senior care, we believe a genuine partnership with seniors and their families starts with listening. We make it our business to understand what they want and truly need.

At Alignment, listening is a team sport. Whether it’s our founder and CEO, John Kao, the executive team or frontline employees, we each take time to make phone calls, craft handwritten notes and respond to emails.

Beyond the one-on-one interactions, we actively engage members over social media and in larger town hall settings. All these experiences give us insight into how we’re doing and how we can serve each senior better. We understand that all seniors are not the same.

One-size-fits-all Medicare Advantage (MA) products of the past simply will not work for the fastgrowing, diverse group of seniors we serve today. The diversity across ethnicities, geographies and socioeconomic status within the MA sector is even greater than traditional Medicare. In fact, a recent study by Better Medicare Alliance revealed that Black, Latino and Asian enrollees made up 27% of Medicare Advantage plans compared to the 17% enrolled in traditional Medicare.

It’s why we’ve developed customized plans - such as Harmony and el ÚNICO - in the last few years to better meet the cultural needs of seniors from Asian and Hispanic/Latino backgrounds. These plans offer unique services, such as Eastern wellness services, in-language member materials, and grocery allowances at Asian stores or Spanish-speaking providers and agents.

Along with culturally tailored plans, Alignment offers a range of health plans and benefits that suit different ends of the health spectrum. While some seniors have multiple chronic conditions requiring specific and extensive in-person medical services, most are generally healthy and tech-savvy.

Hence, a mix of telehealth and in-person preventive care is just what the doctor ordered. Beyond clinical care, senior consumers are looking for health care companies that can support their health holistically. Outside of the basic wellness visits, they want support for their mental, physical and emotional well-being.

Today, Alignment offers a range of benefits and services designed to support seniors in their overall health goals. We have seniors covered from vision, hearing and dental care to grocery and over-thecounter benefits, fitness classes, pet care and companionship.

Our approach is working.

We’re winning consumer trust by listening and innovating around what seniors want and need. We’re using real data to pass along cost-savings, streamline processes and improve the quality of health outcomes. Most importantly, we’re caring for our members the way we want our own families to be cared for. To be sure, the health care companies of the future will be the ones that champion the shared goal of aging well.

Dawn Maroney
Markets President, Alignment Health & CEO, Alignment Health Plan