SCAN Health Plan

SCAN Health Plan is a nonprofit Medicare Advantage organization headquartered in Long Beach, California, and part of SCAN Group. It was established in 1977 after a University of Southern California-affiliated team developed a community-based model for coordinating medical care and social services for older adults. The organization initially operated under the name Long Beach Geriatric Healthcare Council before adopting the SCAN name, originally associated with Senior Care Action Network. SCAN was created around the principle that older adults, particularly people with complex health and social needs, could remain safely in their homes if medical care, social services, community agencies, and hospitals worked together. This approach led to SCAN's long-running involvement in California's Multipurpose Senior Services Program, or MSSP. Since 1979, its Independence at Home community service has helped low-income and medically vulnerable seniors obtain home-based support intended to delay or prevent unnecessary institutionalization. The organization's national profile increased in the early 1980s when it was selected as one of four demonstration sites for the federal Social Health Maintenance Organization program. SCAN received a California health-plan license in 1984 and began enrolling members in its Social HMO in 1985. The demonstration combined Medicare coverage with expanded services for older people at elevated risk of needing institutional care. Although the federal demonstration ended in 2004, SCAN continued as a Medicare Advantage plan and retained its emphasis on coordinated, supplemental, and community-based care. During the late 1990s, SCAN expanded beyond its original Long Beach base into Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, more than doubling membership between 1996 and 1998. It subsequently broadened its California service area and, beginning in the 2020s, expanded outside the state. Recent geographic growth has included Arizona, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico, and Washington. The plan serves Medicare beneficiaries through county-specific Medicare Advantage offerings, with availability varying by market and plan year. SCAN's product strategy has included broad Medicare Advantage plans, special-needs and population-focused offerings, and benefits designed to address affordability, social circumstances, and health inequities. Its Embrace Venture plan included a Medicare Part B premium give-back benefit. SCAN Affirm was developed for LGBTQ+ older adults, while SCAN Inspired focuses on women and SCAN Allied is intended to better serve Asian older adults. The organization has also diversified into direct care delivery through SCAN Group ventures, including street medicine, geriatric primary care, home-based care, palliative services, and the PACE model. In addition to insurance operations, SCAN maintains a community-services mission through Independence at Home. Those services include care management, resource and referral assistance, partnerships with public programs, and a virtual senior center. SCAN has reported strong Medicare quality ratings in California and other markets, although its ratings have changed across plan years and have at times been subject to regulatory challenge. It remains a major nonprofit Medicare Advantage organization in the United States, with reported membership exceeding 400,000 in the 2026 plan-year materials supplied for this dossier.

SCAN Health Plan began in 1977 from a University of Southern California-developed proposal for organizing medical and social support around the needs of older adults. The initial organization was briefly called the Long Beach Geriatric Healthcare Council. Its founding concept was a locally coordinated network in which community agencies, physicians, hospitals, and social-service providers could jointly help seniors remain independent at home. In 1979, California selected SCAN as one of eight sites for the Multipurpose Senior Services Program. The program served elderly Medi-Cal recipients who were at risk of institutionalization by arranging home-based assistance and care coordination. SCAN has continued this work through Independence at Home, which became an important part of its community mission. SCAN's transition from a local service network to a regulated health plan followed its selection as one of four national sites for the Social Health Maintenance Organization demonstration. The model extended SCAN's home- and community-based philosophy to Medicare beneficiaries while combining insurance coverage with additional services for people with complex needs. SCAN was licensed as a California health plan in November 1984 and began enrolling members in March 1985. Congress renewed the demonstration several times before it ended in 2004. After the Social HMO period, SCAN continued as a Medicare Advantage organization. Between 1996 and 1998 it expanded into Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties and more than doubled membership. Further growth extended its service area across Southern and Northern California. The organization also continued developing benefits and care-management programs beyond the basic Medicare package. From 2020 onward, SCAN Group pursued a broader strategy that combined health-plan operations with care delivery. New affiliated organizations included Healthcare in Action, which provides integrated street medicine and related services to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness; Welcome Health, which offers geriatric primary care in clinics, virtually, and in homes; Homebase Medical, which focuses on palliative care, chronic disease management, transitions, and in-home assessments; and myPlace Health, which delivers care through the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly and value-based partnerships. During the 2020s, SCAN expanded outside California into Arizona and Nevada and subsequently into Texas, New Mexico, and Washington. It introduced or expanded population-specific offerings such as SCAN Affirm, SCAN Inspired, and SCAN Allied, while also promoting benefits such as the Part B premium give-back associated with Embrace Venture. SCAN has reported sustained strong Medicare quality performance in California and other states, along with significant enrollment growth. Its overall identity remains that of a nonprofit Medicare Advantage organization combining insurance coverage, coordinated care, and community support for older adults.

1. 2022Population-specific products expand

   SCAN introduces SCAN Affirm and expands into Texas and additional Nevada territory.

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2. 2021Entry into Arizona and Nevada

   SCAN expands beyond California into selected Arizona and Nevada counties.

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3. 2020Expansion into care delivery

   SCAN Group begins developing additional care-delivery organizations alongside the health-plan business.

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4. 1996Southern California expansion

   SCAN begins expanding into Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.

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5. 1985Social HMO enrollment begins

   The organization begins enrolling members in its Social HMO program.

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6. 1984Health-plan licensing

   SCAN receives a California license during the federal Social Health Maintenance Organization demonstration.

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7. 1979Selection for California's MSSP

   SCAN becomes one of California's Multipurpose Senior Services Program sites, supporting vulnerable seniors with home-based services.

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8. 1977SCAN is established

   A USC-developed community-care proposal leads to the creation of the organization that becomes SCAN Health Plan.

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A nonprofit, community-oriented Medicare Advantage organization emphasizing coordinated care, supplemental services, aging in place, and support for populations with complex medical or social needs.

• Medicare Advantage plansHealth insurance1985

  SCAN's core offering consists of Medicare Advantage plans for eligible older adults and other Medicare beneficiaries. Benefits, networks, premiums, service areas, and supplemental features vary by county and plan year. The plans are designed to combine Medicare-covered medical services with coordinated care, case management, and additional benefits intended to support health, affordability, and independent living.

• SCAN Embrace VentureMedicare Advantage plan2021

  Embrace Venture is a Medicare Advantage offering associated with significant membership growth in the early 2020s. A notable feature was a Medicare Part B premium give-back, designed to reduce the financial burden on members during a period of elevated inflation. Availability and exact benefits are dependent on the relevant plan year and market.

• SCAN AffirmPopulation-focused Medicare Advantage plan2022

  SCAN Affirm was developed for LGBTQ+ older adults and is described as the first LGBTQ+-focused Medicare Advantage plan offered by SCAN. Its positioning reflects an effort to tailor benefits, support, and care coordination to the experiences and needs of a particular senior population.

• SCAN InspiredPopulation-focused Medicare Advantage plan

  SCAN Inspired is a population-focused Medicare Advantage offering centered on women. It forms part of SCAN's broader strategy of designing plans and services around the social, clinical, and support needs of specific communities of older adults.

• SCAN AlliedPopulation-focused Medicare Advantage plan

  SCAN Allied is intended to serve Asian older-adult populations. The plan is part of SCAN's effort to use targeted products and culturally responsive support to address differences in language, community connections, access, and care preferences.

• Independence at HomeCommunity senior services1979

  Independence at Home is a SCAN community service providing intensive care management, resource and referral assistance, and support for low-income or otherwise vulnerable seniors. It works through public programs such as MSSP, community partnerships, and SCAN-funded initiatives, with services including a caregiver resource line and a virtual senior center.

• 2023Challenge to Medicare star-rating determinationOther

  A CMS-related California rating initially reflected a decline from 4.5 to 3.5 stars.

  What changed. SCAN challenged the rating through litigation.

  Aftermath. The rating was reported as restored to 4 stars, allowing SCAN to maintain its stated record of consecutive years at 4 stars or higher in California.

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• 2021Out-of-state geographic expansionStrategy

  SCAN pursued growth beyond its established California service area.

  What changed. The organization entered selected counties in Arizona and Nevada and later continued expansion into additional states.

  Aftermath. SCAN developed a multistate Medicare Advantage footprint spanning the western and southern United States.

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• 2020Diversification into care deliveryStrategy

  SCAN Group sought to extend its mission beyond health-plan administration and develop evidence-based, patient-centered services for vulnerable populations.

  What changed. The group launched or supported new organizations providing street medicine, geriatric primary care, home-based care, palliative services, and PACE-based care.

  Aftermath. The strategy broadened SCAN's operating model from insurance coverage into direct and partnered care delivery.

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• 2026SCAN reports record membership growth

  Company-reported plan-year figures described the largest membership increase in SCAN's history, with growth of more than 127,000 people and total enrollment approaching 440,000.

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• 2023SCAN reports successful challenge to California Medicare star rating

  After a California rating was initially reported as falling from 4.5 to 3.5 stars, SCAN challenged the determination through litigation and reported that the rating was restored to 4 stars.

  LawsuitRegulation
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• 2023SCAN receives top customer-satisfaction ranking in California

  SCAN was reported as ranking highest among California Medicare Advantage plans in the J.D. Power U.S. Medicare Advantage Study.

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• 2022SCAN launches population-focused Medicare Advantage plans

  SCAN expanded its product portfolio with SCAN Affirm for LGBTQ+ older adults and later developed SCAN Inspired and SCAN Allied for additional population-specific service needs.

  Product launch
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• 2021SCAN expands Medicare Advantage operations beyond California

  The organization expanded into Arizona and Nevada, including Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, and Clark counties, marking its first simultaneous expansion into two states outside California.

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• 2021SCAN reports major membership growth connected with Embrace Venture

  SCAN reported growth of more than 60,000 members, attributing much of the increase to the Embrace Venture plan and its Medicare Part B premium give-back benefit.

  Product launchOther
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1. SCAN Health Plan
2. SCAN Health Plan official website