GoHealth Partners with Aunt Bertha to Address Members' Social Determinants of Health

Rhea-AI Summary

GoHealth (NASDAQ: GOCO) has partnered with Aunt Bertha to tackle social determinants of health (SDOH) impacting its members. SDOH are factors like limited access to food and transportation that affect well-being. Through Member Care Assessments (MCAs), GoHealth identified key issues, including 63% of members using food stamps and 65% reporting feelings of loneliness or anxiety. The partnership aims to connect members with community resources, enhancing GoHealth's Encompass offerings for Medicare beneficiaries. This initiative reflects GoHealth's commitment to improving healthcare accessibility.

Positive

• Partnership with Aunt Bertha enhances support for members' social needs.
• Identification of SDOH through MCAs provides data for targeted assistance.
• Expansion of Encompass offerings personalizes member care and improves service access.

Negative

• None.

CHICAGO & AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GoHealth, Inc. (GoHealth) (NASDAQ: GOCO), a leading health insurance marketplace and Medicare-focused digital health company, has partnered with the social care network Aunt Bertha to connect GoHealth members with community-based resources to address social determinants of health (SDOH).

SDOH are social and environmental factors that can prevent members from living full, healthy lives. Examples include a lack of healthy food, limited access to transportation, and inadequate living conditions. SDOH may take the form of physical, mental, or social needs and represent a large component of overall well-being.

GoHealth identifies its members' specific, unmet SDOH-related needs through Member Care Assessments (MCAs), which TeleCare agents administer during or near Medicare plan enrollment. Equipped with a strong understanding of each member's needs through the MCA data, TeleCare agents then help members maximize the rich health insurance benefits offered through their Medicare Advantage plan.

Currently, GoHealth identified the following through MCAs: 

• Sixty-three percent of members have used food stamps in the last year, and twenty-six percent have worried about running out of food before having enough money to buy more.
• Forty-eight percent of members live alone, and twenty-four percent who live alone do not have someone who can check on them daily.
• Sixty-five percent of members have felt lonely, depressed, or anxious in the last month, and of these members, most feel this way over half of the week.

This early data from MCAs led GoHealth to pursue a partnership with Aunt Bertha to further address its members' SDOH gaps. The Aunt Bertha partnership equips GoHealth TeleCare agents with connections to community-based organizations within every state in the U.S. Partnering with Aunt Bertha is also one of the many ways that GoHealth has expanded its Encompass offerings, focused on personalizing and coordinating comprehensive services and care for members once they have been enrolled in a Medicare plan.

"At GoHealth, we are focused on the fundamentals of health, including healthy eating and safe living. Partnering with Aunt Bertha helps us meet the holistic needs of our members, especially the dual eligible population who qualify for Medicare and Medicaid, by connecting them with the food pantries and other local organizations that they trust the most," says Ben Miller, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at GoHealth. "We are excited to partner with Aunt Bertha to further our mission of improving access to healthcare in America."

Aunt Bertha is the leading referral platform for social services in America, serving the biggest cities and smallest towns. They connect people seeking help with the verified social care providers that serve them, with dignity and ease. Aunt Bertha has the largest and most widely used social care network in the country, with at least 1,300 resources in every county in the United States. Over the last decade, the network has grown to over 547,000 locations and has now surpassed seven million users. 

"We are excited to share the Aunt Bertha network with GoHealth—who is a trusted advisor to a large portion of the population seeking social services. By enabling GoHealth to integrate social care into their service of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries, we are able to fulfill Aunt Bertha's mission of connecting people to the social care they need," says Amy Rettler, VP of Customer Experience at Aunt Bertha. "We will continue to work closely with GoHealth as they expand their commitment and strategy in the social determinants of health space."

About GoHealth, Inc.:

As a leading health insurance marketplace and Medicare-focused digital health company, GoHealth's mission is to improve access to healthcare in America. Enrolling in a health insurance plan can be confusing for customers, and the seemingly small differences between plans can lead to significant out-of-pocket costs or lack of access to critical medicines and even providers. GoHealth combines cutting-edge technology, data science and deep industry expertise to match customers with the healthcare policy and carrier that is right for them. Since its inception, GoHealth has enrolled millions of people in Medicare plans and individual and family plans. For more information, visit https://www.gohealth.com.

About Aunt Bertha:

Aunt Bertha is the leading referral platform for social services in America, serving the biggest cities and smallest towns. They connect people seeking help and the verified social care providers that serve them, with dignity and ease. Aunt Bertha makes it easy for people to find social services in their communities, for nonprofits to coordinate their efforts, and for organizations to integrate social care into the work they already do. They serve millions of users and their platform is used in a wide range of industries including education, government, housing, and healthcare.

Contacts:

GoHealth Investor Relations, IR@gohealth.com
GoHealth Media Relations, pressinquiries@gohealth.com
Aunt Bertha, auntbertha@ecpr.com

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SOURCE GoHealth, Inc.

FAQ

What is GoHealth's recent partnership about?

GoHealth has partnered with Aunt Bertha to address social determinants of health affecting its members.

What percentage of GoHealth members use food stamps?

Sixty-three percent of GoHealth members have used food stamps in the last year.

How is GoHealth identifying social needs of its members?

GoHealth identifies social needs through Member Care Assessments (MCAs) conducted during Medicare plan enrollment.

What issues did GoHealth find among its members?

GoHealth found that 65% of members felt lonely, depressed, or anxious in the past month.

What does the partnership with Aunt Bertha aim to achieve?

The partnership aims to connect GoHealth members with community-based resources to address their social needs.