Anthem, Kroger Health Offer Plans To Help Consumers Purchase Groceries, Health Items

(RTTNews) - Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (ANTM), a provider of health insurance, and Kroger Health, a healthcare division of the Kroger Co. (KR), on Thursday, said they are offering their new Medicare Advantage 2022 plans with benefits and services to address an individual's whole-health needs and wellbeing.

Eligible members enrolled in one of these plans are expected to have benefit allowances that can be used at Kroger Family Stores to buy nutritious food as well as health and wellness items. Eligible members in one of these new Medicare Advantage plans, called Anthem MediBlue + Kroger Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP) and Anthem MediBlue + Kroger Access (PPO), will be given a Healthy Groceries Card, which is expected to be loaded with up to $75 per month. "They will be able to use the card to purchase healthy groceries at Kroger, reducing their monthly out-of-pocket costs and helping them achieve a balanced and nutritious diet," the companies said in a statement.

These eligible members will also be given a quarterly allowance to spend on over the counter (OTC), and health items at Kroger. This benefit will help members reduce their out-of-pocket healthcare costs because they will be able to use their OTC allowance on everyday health-related items, like first aid supplies, support braces, and pain relievers, instead of paying for the items with their own funds, they added.

In addition, Kroger Health's 2,200 pharmacies are in Anthem's preferred network, which are also set to help reduce out-of-pocket costs for members compared to using pharmacies outside of their network.