How COVID-19 Proved the Value of Supplemental Benefits

The pandemic created challenges for many Americans. Most notably, vulnerable populations who have struggled to maintain access to daily necessities and stay safe for months on end. Physical access to essentials is important, but so is the ability to afford these basic items. Both have been hindered by COVID-19.

"The pandemic has highlighted the impact of food and financial insecurities on health and wellness," says Sana Hashmi, Vice President of FirstLine Benefits. "The disparity that exists in this country became more evident as many people lost their jobs and, therefore, access to forms of prevention, such as Tylenol, gloves, masks, and hand sanitizer. And plenty lacked enough disposable income to purchase food."

Recognizing the predicament many individuals found themselves in, Hashmi and her team realized the need for solutions to get over-the-counter items and groceries to FirstLine Benefits members. They began to find ways they could expand their supplemental benefits programs to mitigate health risks associated with COVID-19 as well as ensure access to food and nutrition despite limited financial resources. 

"We talked to our clinical teams and scanned the market to identify the items individuals need, which, during the pandemic, were face masks, hand soap, tissues — rudimentary items to protect themselves from getting sick," Hashmi said.

"Some of our most vulnerable populations — Medicaid and Medicare — were having a hard time finding these items in store — if they were even able to get there," she continues. "We also tried to find items on top of just the nit and grit. Some of the fundamentals that could help supplement and ease some of the mental stress they may be dealing with as well."

Supplemental benefits have always been a means to promote prevention and wellness by removing access and affordability barriers from the equation, but suddenly members were really beginning to understand what this meant.

"The shining moment was the surprise and delight of the members," reveals FirstLine Benefits Senior Director of Business Development Deb Telon. "They couldn't even believe they were getting it from their insurance company. There was a shortage of so many items. You just couldn't get your hands on them, especially among the most vulnerable populations. This is the kind of stuff that keeps them safe at home or on the go. We knew we were making a real impact on their lives."

And the pandemic has shifted the conversation around supplemental benefits, especially around the issue of preventive health. According to Hashmi, there’s a growing trend of addressing the various dimensions of an individual's health in a proactive way rather than the traditionally reactive way healthcare tends to function in the United States.

"Healthcare is always consumed when you need it the most. We tend to delay until we absolutely need it. And some of that comes down to cost. Healthcare is expensive," she states.

By building on the momentum behind prevention, the healthcare industry can actually reduce costs and improve the lives of individuals more immediately.

"If you take care of yourself early, you can stop those reactive incidents from happening," Hashmi adds. "In this country, we spend a lot more time on acute care management than we do on prevention. I'm hoping in the next ten years there will be more wellness centers than surgery centers. We're just not operating that way yet. And it's going to take time, but I'm hoping that we're starting to take these steps now with some of these benefits."

Having conversations about comprehensive coverage and supplemental benefits can eventually lead to positive health experiences and outcomes for members as we begin to better address their health-related needs more holistically.

"Until we take the time to think about how we need to help those areas of someone's life and offer them a comprehensive solution, we're always going to be playing catchup," says Hashmi. "That's where supplemental solutions need to evolve and where we're headed — where we have comprehensive solutions that put all the benefits under one roof."

If the pandemic has taught the healthcare industry anything it’s that socioeconomic disparities have a tangible impact on individuals' day-to-day lives. It’s time for industry stakeholders and consumers themselves to rethink what constitutes adequate health coverage.

"Good, bad, or indifferent, COVID gave us an entire year's worth of data we can use to see how much of a difference the right tools in the right hands can make. Using that as a propeller forward, we're going to make the argument to health plans that this needs to become a movement in our healthcare system and not just a moment in time," Hashmi concludes.

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About the Sponsor

The team at FirstLine Benefits™ works with health plans to make the healthy choice the easy choice for their members. They do this by delivering products and programs that give people access to products they need to make better decisions for their health.