SelectQuote, Inc., a leading distributor of Medicare insurance policies and owner of a rapidly-growing healthcare services platform, has officially published the results from its latest report, which offers in-depth insights into the complex medical and social needs of the population within its ecosystem.
Built on the back of responses from tens of thousands of patient health needs assessments, this particular research treads up a long distance to highlight significant challenges across chronic care management, medication access, and financial security, thus revealing a critical industry need for personalized, integrated healthcare solutions.
“This research provides a clear, data-driven look at the barriers to care faced by a large segment of the Medicare-eligible population,” said Bob Grant, SelectQuote President. “The high prevalence of chronic conditions, coupled with geographic and financial obstacles, illustrates why traditional one-size-fits-all healthcare is insufficient. We are committed to using this data to drive personalized solutions that effectively address these gaps.”
Talk about the whole study on a slightly deeper level, we begin from the point of undeserved beneficiaries. In essence, as SelectQuote and Healthcare Select connect with beneficiaries telephonically, the relevant piece of population was found to significantly over-index historically-underserved areas that, on their part, lack access to more traditional healthcare providers.
From a statistical standpoint, 45% of Healthcare Select members said they reside in a rural zip code whereas on the other hand, 36% reside in an urban zip code and no more than 11% reside in a suburban zip code.
Next up, the research worked alongside the metric of chronic conditions, an aspect where 74% of the population reported that they are dealing with two or more chronic conditions. Not just that, 75% of members also revealed they regularly take 5 or more prescriptions.
Another detail worth a mention is rooted in how 77% of SelectRx patients report annual household income of under $20,000. As a result, 19% respondents reported having trouble accessing food on a regular basis, while 36% indicated they are worried about being able to pay for bills if they were to face a serious illness.
An estimated 16% of Healthcare Select members even report having delayed taking medication due to financial reasons.
However, from those who do have financial access to their medications, 40% of members still reported either forgetting to take their medications or failing to pick up prescriptions from a pharmacy. Such a factor becomes even more serious once you consider how independent studies indicate that failure to take medications consistently as prescribed (i.e., non-adherence) contributes to reduced treatment efficacy and poor disease control, higher rates of emergency department visits and hospitalizations, as well as increased morbidity and mortality.
Hold on, we still have a couple of bits left to unpack, considering we haven’t yet touched upon a piece of detail claiming that ⅔ of the population served by the company’s SelectRx pharmacy reside in a “pharmacy desert” with limited access to local pharmacies. In case this wasn’t bad enough, 31% of Healthcare Select members also report that they lack access to reliable transportation.
“We purpose-built Healthcare Select and our SelectRx pharmacy model to meet the needs of these underserved Medicare beneficiaries by combining telephonic outreach, personalized care coordination, direct prescription delivery, and packaging that improves adherence. By removing barriers like transportation and limited local pharmacy access, SelectRx helps patients manage complex medication regimens and improves adherence, ultimately driving better health outcomes,” said Mr. Grant.
