Once upon a time in a land not very far away, a group of determined individuals banded together to protect an important group of people: the older generation.
And it worked.
On January 1, 2014, Aspire Health Plan launched a local Medicare Advantage program for Monterey County residents.
About 400 people signed up that first year, attracted by having homegrown health coverage instead of a 1-800 number. It was a place where you, literally, could walk in the door and ask to shake hands with the CEO. There was some skepticism. How could this nascent, pocket-sized plan possibly keep up with the national competition? The UHCs, the Humanas.
All together, we’re supporting about 65,000 residents in our community. We are committed to elevating the health and wellness of Monterey County, our community, right now and long into the future.
— Tyler Munson, Chief Executive Officer, Aspire Health
Fast forward a decade, and the little plan that could is not only alive — it’s thriving. Now known as Aspire Health and in partnership with Salinas Valley Health, it includes not only the Medicare Advantage plan, but an array of community health improvement initiatives, commercial insurance partnerships, and insurance plans for hospital and healthcare employees.
“All together, we’re supporting about 65,000 residents in our community,” says Tyler Munson, Chief Executive Officer at Aspire Health. “We are committed to elevating the health and wellness of Monterey County, our community, right now and long into the future.”
Aspire Health’s Population Health — the community health improvement component — started in 2012 as Community Health Innovations (CHI). It was created to help people manage their own health and avoid chronic disease, ultimately reducing costs for everyone. In 2019, Montage Health changed CHI’s name to Population Health and merged it with Aspire Health Plan to create Aspire Health.
One powerful example of the impact of the Population Health efforts is the wide-reaching “Don’t Feed the Diabetes” campaign. The program provides individual coaching and support for children and adults who have diabetes or prediabetes, which includes almost half of Monterey County residents.
“We partner with schools to educate students about lifestyle changes that will help prevent chronic illnesses that can dramatically reduce quality of life, especially later on in life,” Munson says. The unique diabetes campaign has received national recognition from the American Hospital Association and has been endorsed by the Association for Community Health Plans.
Aspire Health employees
Another program, Healthy Together, focuses on children and families working together to develop healthy behaviors, including good eating habits, moderate screen time, and exercise. Participants are connected with Everyone’s Harvest, which provides fresh bags of produce to families in need, as well as Double-up Food Bucks, a collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture. The Double-up initiative supports low-income households by doubling the amount of fresh California-grown produce families can purchase in locally owned grocery stores.
Montage Health, using Aspire Health’s Population Health experts, is responding to the local impacts of the opioid and fentanyl crisis. The program provides drug prevention education to the county’s middle and high school students, and educates about and distributes naloxone, a medication to reverse opioid overdoses.
All the Population Health efforts are designed to promote and enhance the overall wellness of the community, says Liz Lorenzi, Aspire Health’s Population Health division Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
“We have nurses who call patients when they’re discharged from the hospital to see if they have all the things they need to recover safely at home,” Lorenzi says. “We have health coaches who help people with lifestyle changes, getting them on exercise plans, helping them stick to a diet. We have programs that connect people to prevent social isolation. We have social workers, health advocates — a whole team whose mission is to help people achieve their optimal level of health and well-being. We want to help people live longer, and we want them to live longer with a higher quality of life.”
Finally, Aspire Health, with a strong network of doctors and partnerships with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, offers healthcare insurance coverage. It began with Medicare Advantage, which covers everything that original Medicare covers, plus prescription drugs and additional benefits like transportation, chiropractic care, acupuncture, and fitness options in one plan.
Then, Aspire began offering health insurance to anyone in the community, as well as employer-sponsored insurance for employees and healthcare workers at Montage Health and Salinas Valley Health.
All designed to ensure our community receives the care it needs.
“We’re local,” Lorenzi says. “If you have an issue you want to discuss, you can literally come over and knock on our door.”
Just as they planned it once upon a time.
