Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Kroger Health Offer Plans that Include Allowance to Help Consumers Purchase Groceries and Popular Health Items
Tuesday, November 9th, 2021
Employing their complementary experiences in helping individuals lead healthier lives, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Georgia 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 Raul Smith, President of Anthem’s North/East 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."
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.
"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: Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, De Kalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton.
For more details about these health plan benefits and Anthem’s Medicare plans, consumers can call (855) 866-3981, 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.