With rising food costs, many seniors are looking for ways to stretch their grocery budgets. The Humana Healthy Food Card, offered through select Humana Medicare Advantage plans, is one such resource. This article breaks down the eligibility requirements, benefits, and usage of the Humana Healthy Food Card, providing a comprehensive guide for seniors and their families.
What is the Medicare Food Allowance Card?
The Medicare Food Allowance Card is a benefit included in certain Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) plans. It is designed to help beneficiaries afford groceries and healthy food items, making it easier to maintain a nutritious diet. This card is typically available through specific Medicare Advantage plans provided by private insurers.
Several insurers offer Medicare Advantage plans with food benefits, including:
- Humana: Some plans feature an over-the-counter (OTC) card that can also be used for grocery purchases.
- UnitedHealthcare: Select plans provide a Healthy Food Benefit card.
- Aetna: Many Aetna Medicare Advantage plans include a food benefit among their extra services.
Humana Healthy Options Allowance: A Flexible Benefit
Certain Humana Medicare Advantage plans offer an allowance you can use to pay for eligible groceries, over-the-counter products, utilities, rent, pet supplies, and more. This allowance is stored on a member’s Humana Spending Account Card.
Humana Spending Account Card: Your Flex Card
Humana flex cards are called Spending Account Cards. These cards can be loaded with money, or allowances, on a quarterly or monthly basis depending on your Medicare Advantage plan. Humana offers three different allowance types: Healthy Options allowance, OTC allowance, and/or Flex allowance. The Health Options allowance provides a spending amount through the card on eligible groceries, over-the-counter items, utilities, rent, and other household goods. The OTC allowance provides a spending amount for over-the-counter medicine, vitamins, first-aid supplies, and more. You can use a Flex allowance toward your Medicare Advantage plan’s covered dental, vision, or hearing services.
Read also: Humana Healthy Benefits
Eligibility for the Healthy Options Allowance
To be eligible for the Healthy Options allowance, you must be enrolled in the following Humana Medicare Advantage plans:
- 100% of Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (for those on Medicare and Medicaid)
- Certain Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans (designed for those with chronic health problems)
- Other non-Special Needs Humana Medicare Advantage plans may also be eligible
If you are diagnosed with 1 or more chronic conditions after you’ve enrolled in a plan, you may qualify to switch to a plan that includes the Healthy Options Allowance.
How Much is the Healthy Options Allowance?
Healthy Options Allowance amounts vary by plan and location. Monthly allowances begin at $25/month.
What Can You Buy with a Humana Flex Card Healthy Options Allowance?
Here are specific examples of what a Healthy Options allowance can help pay for:
- Groceries: approved produce, beverages, dairy, meat, frozen and prepared foods, bakery items
- Home and personal supplies: toilet paper, paper towels, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, cleaning supplies, fans, space heaters, air conditioners
- Over-the-counter: allergy, cold and flu medicine, vitamins and supplements, first aid, pain relief, digest health products
- Pet supplies: pet food, pet toys, kitty litter, flea shampoo
- Utilities, rent, and mortgage: rent/mortgage payments, home phone and internet service, electric, home heating, and water/sewage bills
- Non-medical transportation: taxis, ridesharing services, public transportation
- Assistive devices: grab bars, low-vision aids, reaching aids
OTC (Over-the-Counter) Allowance
If you have an OTC allowance as part of your benefits for a Humana Medicare Advantage plan, you can use your Spending Account Card towards over-the-counter medicine, vitamins, first-aid supplies, incontinence supplies, and oral care. The OTC allowance benefit is a dollar amount that is loaded onto your Humana Spending Account Card.You can use this allowance at participating retailers in addition to CenterWell.
Read also: Navigating Healthy Food Options
Here are specific examples of what an OTC allowance can help pay for:
- Vitamins and supplements
- Pain relievers, cough drops and other OTC medicines
- Toothbrushes, toothpaste, denture cream and tablets
- Cleansing wipes and bladder control pads
- Bandages and first aid supplies
- Stomach remedies
Flex Allowance
The Flex allowance benefit is a monthly or quarterly spending amount allotted for your plan’s covered dental, vision, or hearing services. With a Flex allowance, you can use your Spending Account Card for out-of-pocket healthcare costs, like copays and coinsurance. Because the Flex allowance can only be used toward costs associated with your specific Medicare Advantage plan, you’ll have to submit a claim to Humana before you can use the flex benefit.
Where Can You Use Your Humana Flex Card?
Once you activate your Humana Spending Account Card, you can use it to purchase goods and over-the-counter medications at participating retailers, grocery stores, and pharmacies. Not all places accept payment from the Humana allowance programs. You can check the Humana Store Finder to see which shops will accept the card in your area.
Three notes about using your card:
- Retailers must accept Visa payments in order for you to make the purchase.
- It’s important that you check your plan details to ensure that your purchase is eligible for using your Spending Account Card.
- If you have Flex allowance as a benefit, you’ll have to submit a claim to cover any service or procedure before using the card.
If you need to check your account balance, you can do so by logging into your online Humana account.
Read also: Healthy food access with Highmark Wholecare explained.
How to Get a Medicare Food Allowance Card
Getting a Medicare Food Allowance Card starts with enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan that offers this benefit.
Other Resources for Food Assistance
In addition to the Medicare Food Allowance Card, seniors can explore other resources for food assistance:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): SNAP offers monthly financial assistance to help cover grocery costs.
- Local Food Banks: Many communities have food banks and pantries offering free groceries.
Important Considerations
- The monthly grocery allowance depends on your specific Medicare Advantage plan. Benefits typically range from $10 to $100 per month, and funds can be used to buy approved food items at participating stores.
- The Medicare Food Allowance Card is accepted at a variety of grocery stores and retailers, depending on the specific card issuer. In many cases, you can use your Medicare Food Allowance Card at local grocery stores and supermarkets that are authorized by your plan provider.
- Variations in Medicare Advantage plans: Keep in mind that the amount of money you get from your Medicare Advantage plan for the Spending Account Card may vary from one plan to another. Read your plan details closely or get in touch with Humana or a Chapter representative to make sure you understand what you can pay for and how much your Humana flex card allowance is.
- Flex cards, including the Humana Spending Account Card, can help you save on health and wellness needs, including over-the-counter goods, prescriptions, and copays for healthcare services. Unfortunately, Medicare beneficiaries only use about 30% of their over-the-counter/flex benefits.
- People eligible for (or enrolled in) Humana’s Medicare Advantage Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP), may have a plan that includes the Humana Healthy Foods Card benefit. The benefit may help Humana members who are short on money for food. Qualifying items include milk, eggs, bread, juices, water, yogurts, fruits, vegetables and more.
- For more information on your eligibility, please sign in to your MyHumana account.
Inflation Reduction Act
You may pay less for certain rebatable drugs and eligible insulins covered by Medicare Part B. See what the Inflation Reduction Act may have to offer you.
Dual-Eligible Outreach (DEO) Team
Our team can help you find out if you’re eligible for the Medicare Savings Program in your state.
Additional Benefits, Programs, and Services from Humana
Take a minute to learn about some of the additional benefits, services and programs we offer through our Medicare Advantage plans.