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March 28, 2024 4:16 am
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New Senior Health Plan Offers Services In Mesquite

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

Alignment Health Plan is now offering its Medicare Advantage Plan to Mesquite residents through local brokers. They have also become an annual sponsor of the Mesquite Senior Games organization. Pictured l to r are Alignment NV Sales Director Rick Scroggs, Alignment broker/manager Tami Utites, MSG Director Amy Bradshaw and MSG board members Sean Edwards and John Rosen. PHOTO BY BOBBIE GREEN/The Progress.

A new company that focuses exclusively on Medicare Advantage plans has come into the southern Nevada market. And they have quickly become involved in the Mesquite community by making an investment in one very health-oriented local organization.

The Alignment Health Plan arrived on the scene in Nevada earlier this year. The company started in 2013 in Orange County, California. Since that time it has experienced significant growth and has received recognition in its field.

As of the second quarter of 2021, the company’s health plan membership had increased to 84,700, an increase of 32 percent from the previous year. The total revenue for the same period was $309 million, up 26 percent from previous year.

The company is on the move. Alignment has currently entered three states: California, North Carolina and, just this year, Nevada.

“We have done it the right way,” said Nevada Director of Sales Rick Scroggs in an interview with The Progress last week. “We have grown slowly and given time to become solid. We build out a great HMO network for our members and provide a solid plan and then move to the next area.”

“We are just starting to see growth in Nevada which was our state for this year,” Scoggs added. “Next year we plan on adding Arizona. Then we hope to continue to add more and more after that.”

Scroggs said that the company is also adding to its portfolio of products as well. The company offers a Platinum plan which is its flagship HMO plan. It also offers a full dual plan and a special needs plan for members with heart and diabetes issues.

Finally, Alignment offers a virtual plan using an online healthcare system it developed called AVA. This system is designed to help in-network doctors to give members a better level of care through real-time access to their members’ information.

“This system updates every 15 minutes with any type of prescriptions or medical claims,” Scroggs said.

“So the doctors can go in and evaluate all this information. The system can predict possible risk for hospitalization and disease propensity before such early warning signs turn into a true emergency. For example, a doctor can see that she has given a prescription to a patient but that it didn’t get refilled. So she can then make a reminder call on it to check in.”

“So that is one of the big things that sets us apart from other plans out there,” Scroggs added. “We have a very high level of taking care of the touch points with our members and taking care of them.”

Scroggs said that another benefit offered to Alignment members is an emphasis on reducing up front costs of routine diagnostic and preventative care.

“We want members to get the care they need to stay healthy,” Scroggs said. “So we have removed some of the obstacles that are often in their way.”

For example, in the Alignment plans, tests like an MRI or CAT scan have a zero copay. This takes away member concerns about costs from these procedures, making it easier and quicker to get them done and have early detection on possible problems, Scroggs said.

This emphasis is one of the reasons why the company has decided to be a major annual sponsor for the Mesquite Senior Games (MSG), Scroggs said.

“We were very interested in being a partner with MSG because what they do is exactly what Alignment is about: trying to keep our members health and keeping them at their best selves,” Scroggs said. “Here we have an organization that wants seniors to get out there and stay active. So we just said ‘Wow! This would be a perfect marriage for us.’”

MSG Board President John Rosen agreed with Scroggs on this. “Senior does not mean sedentary,” Rosen said. “Both of our organizations are commiteed to promoting a vibrant, healthy and active lifestyle for our senior citizens within our community. We could not be more pleased to welcome Alignment to our community and as a sustaining sponsor to our organization.”

MSG Executive Director Amy Bradshaw added that Alignment’s coming to Mesquite would be a great benefit to local seniors. “Not only have they brought more Medicare medical options, but they have also opened the door to medical providers in nearby St. George. That is great news for our seniors.”

Bradshaw also expressed excitement at her organization’s partnership with Alignment. “We are blessed to be able to partner with Alignment Health Plan,” she said. “This sponsorship will allow us to continue to grow our program providing our seniors with healthy, fun activities to keep active and engaged in the community.”

Scroggs acknowledged that there are many ways for seniors to sign up for Medicare benefits including online options, 800 numbers an more. Alignment prefers to work through local brokers to inform customers about their products.

“We are very high on our broker community meeting one-on-one with members because Medicare is such a complicated system and there are things they need to know about,” Scroggs said. “Working with a broker adds no extra cost for the member. They don’t pay anything extra for it. So we feel like they are far better off having a local broker to work with.”

In Mesquite, Alignment works with broker agents Jim Belnap and Jon Belnap at Medicare& Healthcare located at 561 W. Mesquite Blvd Suite 9. Another certified broker for Alignment in Mesquite is Jeffrey and Andrew Bird of Financial Concepts located at 355 W. Mesquite Blvd., Suite C80.

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