“What Were They Thinking?”: The Exclusion of Medicare Home Health From Providing Supplemental Social Needs Benefits

There is significant literature on social determinants of health (SDOH) to improve health outcomes. In response, Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have expanded Medicare Advantage Plans’ ability to cover SDOH-related services through supplemental benefits and Special Needs Plans (SNPs). Congress has not authorized Traditional Medicare to cover such services. A literature review indicates no studies of Medicare home health social worker awareness of this dichotomy and their resulting perceptions of the impacts of the lack of such coverage. This article summarizes an initial, exploratory study to address the literature gap, based on interviews of a convenience sample of 44 home care social workers from 5 different home health agencies in the New York City metropolitan area between November 1, 2021, and May 31, 2022. Results indicate social workers lacked awareness of the dichotomy in coverage of SNPs and supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage Plans and traditional Medicare. Once made aware of the dichotomy, 4 additional themes emerged from the interviews: documented patient needs were being ignored; the supplemental needs coverage permitted for Medicare Advantage plans should be extended to beneficiaries receiving traditional Medicare; and the lack of such coverage increased the risk of onset of mental and physical health conditions, and revolving door-admissions and costs. Policymakers are urged to consider adding coverage of special needs and supplemental benefits covered in Medicare Advantage to traditional Medicare, through Medicare home health.