A health care plan that provides benefits for people over 65 who are eligible for Medicare and Medicaid (dual-eligibles), will soon begin serving members in Orange County. The plan already includes eligible members in Dutchess and Ulster.
Senior Whole Health Life (SWH) is the name of the program.?“This expansion confirms our commitment to caring for New York”™s elderly poor,” said SWH Executive Director Margaret Wallingford. “It”™s a logical step for us to add on contiguously to our existing service area.”
As a result of the announcement, the company will hire additional local personnel to fill customer service, advertising, marketing and clinical positions. The plan currently employs 32 across the state and now serves 700 members.
“As part of our expansion we also plan to open up an office in Newburgh,” said Wallingford, whose plan began enrolling qualified senior citizens in January 2007. “That community office will become an integral part of our outreach efforts throughout the Hudson Valley.”
SWH offers members benefits to make life at home more comfortable, including around-the-clock access to a health care team, no co-pays or deductibles, prescription coverage, specialized geriatric support services, no claim forms, non-medical services such as transportation, staff fluent in several languages, and non-traditional programs such as Tai Chi fall-prevention.
In 2008, SWH was named the fastest-growing private company in the United States by INC. magazine in its annual list of the country”™s 500 fastest-growing companies. The company posted revenue growth of 31,000 percent from 2004 to 2007. SWH, with 7,000 members in becoming the fastest growing special needs plan (SNP) in the counties above the five boroughs of NYC, combining all of the benefits of Medicare and Medicaid into one comprehensive health services package to cover their needs.
