Elevance Health is launching a program across more than 20 states to provide smartphones to some eligible Medicaid enrollees in hopes of improving their healthcare access.
The smartphones will come with unlimited data, talk and texting service at no cost to some members of select affiliated Medicaid plans who are eligible for the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program, according to a news release Wednesday. The federal assistance program helps connect those with a household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, among other qualifying criteria, with discounted or free cell phones and data service.
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Elevance President and CEO Gail Boudreaux announced the program's launch during a Tuesday evening keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The health insurer is teaming with Verizon, Samsung, AT&T and T-Mobile on the initiative, which is supported by ACP funding.
“That’s a partnership that you wouldn’t think of normally. It’s outside of healthcare per se, but I think this is a big opportunity to sort of make that digital divide smaller across populations,” Boudreaux said.
The program is geared toward allowing enrolled members to more easily contact their Medicaid care team, who can help address their “whole-health needs,” according to the release.
“Increased availability of digital technologies, such as a smartphone, as well as fast, reliable internet is critical to supporting a person’s health journey," Omid Toloui, vice president of innovation at Elevance, said in the release. “We believe the digital tools and the custom, curated experience offered through this program can help improve health, make healthcare more affordable and serve people more equitably.”
The smartphones will be preloaded with health-related services and tools relevant to members' Medicaid plans, such as Elevance's digital engagement platform Sydney Health, a spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said Elevance expects the program to reach hundreds of thousands of members this year in 21 states: Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
Elevance counted 11 million Medicaid enrollees among its 47.3 million total members as of Sept. 30, 2023, according to its third-quarter earnings report.
Other insurance companies have offered similar benefits aimed at expanding access to health via mobile phone connectivity. Nonprofit insurer Healthfirst has been collaborating with Assurance Wireless since 2021 to provide free Android smartphones and no-cost cell service to some eligible Medicaid plan enrollees.
