Spokane County, Washington:
Tri-Cities/Yakima, Washington:
Northern Arizona:
Travis, Williamson, El Paso, Longview, Tyler, Texas:
Oklahoma region of Fayetteville, Fort Smith, and Texarkana:
Central and Northwest Arkansas, Hot Springs, Fort Smith, Arkansas; and Texarkana:
Texarkana region of Arkansas and Texas:
Lake Charles and Shreveport/Monroe, Louisiana:
Savannah, Athens, Columbus, Macon, Georgia; Charleston, Greenville, Allendale, South Carolina; Eastern North Carolina:
Cumberland, York, Lewiston and Bangor, Maine:
Medicare Alternative Now Offered in Fort Smith
October 10, 2006, Fort Smith, AR – Arkansas Community Care will now offer a new health plan for Medicare-eligible beneficiaries in the 9 county Fort Smith region. Provided by Arkansas Community Care, Inc., Arkansas Community Care is a comprehensive health care plan that offers Medicare beneficiaries that have Medicare Part A and B reduced health care costs while ensuring excellent care and access to specialists. Arkansas Community Care already operates plans in Northwest and Little Rock Arkansas, and now Arkansas Community Care will also be available in the Fort Smith region of Arkansas and Oklahoma.
“Individuals eligible for Medicare now have a choice,” said Donna Jennings, Regional Vice President for Arkansas Community Care. “This is a great opportunity for Fort Smith because it fills an unmet need in the community. Arkansas Community Care covers everything Medicare does, including Medicare Prescription Drug coverage, and even more benefits such as preventive services, for less cost.”
When federal Medicare laws were updated in 2003, it created an opportunity for Medicare Advantage plans like Arkansas Community Care to be offered in previously under-served mid-sized communities like Fort Smith. Medicare beneficiaries in the largest metropolitan areas like Dallas have had several Medicare options for years, but such options were generally not available in smaller cities because of Medicare regulations and reimbursement rates.
Following a coordinated-care model that uses a network of local doctors and hospitals for enrollees to choose from, beneficiaries are able to enjoy a greater range of benefits with Arkansas Community Care compared with traditional Medicare. Arkansas Community Care offers three plans: the Plus Plan has no monthly charge, the more comprehensive Premier Plan that is only $28 per month, and the Dual Plus Plan that is just for beneficiaries that have both Medicare and State Medicaid health assistance. The health plan will be available to beneficiaries in Crawford , Franklin, Logan, Scott, Sebastian, and Yell counties, in Arkansas as well as Haskell, Leflore, Sequoyah counties in Oklahoma.
“This is a milestone for Medicare eligible individuals in the Fort Smith region,” said Jennings. “Arkansas Community Care provides an important new health care option, and this is great for the community and Medicare beneficiaries who live here.”
Arkansas Community Care will be hosting a series of town hall meetings and free informational seminars starting in October for Medicare beneficiaries so that they can learn more about Medicare health plans and the Medicare Prescription Drug Program, and to explain Arkansas Community Care products. Medicare eligible individuals in Fort Smith will be receiving announcements about these meetings through the mail and newspaper ads.
“We’ve found in other communities where we have health plans, like Northwest Arkansas and Little Rock Arkansas that people have questions about Medicare health plans and the changes to their Medicare benefits and what these changes mean to them,” said Jennings. “The town hall meetings and seminars are a great chance to get answers to questions and clear up any confusion.”
“We’re a locally operated organization,” said Jennings. “If people have questions either before or after joining the plan, we’re here to answer them in person. We have an office in Fort Smith and anticipate growing even more in the future,” she said.
Arkansas Community Care is provided by Arkansas Community Care, Inc., part of Arcadian Health Plan, Inc. Founded in 1996 by John Austin, M.D., Chairman, Arcadian Health Plan, Inc. is a national Medicare Advantage health plan provider. Arcadian’s locally operated Medicare health plans are currently offered in the Little Rock and Northwest areas of Arkansas, Austin and El Paso Texas, Spokane and Tri-Cities area of Washington state, and Northern Arizona. Arcadian is expanding to offer local Medicare health plans in parts of Oklahoma, South Carolina, Georgia and Maine and even more counties in Arkansas and Texas. For more information call toll-free 800-705-0766 (TTY/TDD 866-573-8613).