OBJECTIVES: Companion care (delivery of non-medical services to older adults or people with disabilities at home and community settings) is a program of social support that can impact healthcare utilization, outcomes, and costs. Medicare Advantage (MA) beneficiaries are expected to grow from 48% of the MA-eligible market today to 61% by 2032. The voluntary churn rate is currently estimated at around 13%, thus reductions in this churn are critical to improving the efficiency of services and care offered to enrolled MA patients.

METHODS: Papa is a nationwide service that pairs older adults with “Papa Pals” for companionship and assistance. A retrospective observational study was conducted using health plan eligibility files and data from Papa. Three large health plans that offered companion care programs (CCP) across their entire MA population were identified. The analysis compared member retention rates from 2021 to 2022 for CCP participants in 2021 versus non-participants.

RESULTS: A total of 182,531 distinct member lives were identified in the three plans in 2021 with 15,363 members (8.4%) participating in CCPs. The mean and median age for 2021 CCP enrollees was 71.6 (9.1) years and 71 years (IQR 67, 77); and were predominantly female (55%). The overall attrition rate from 2021-2022 was 16.2%. There were no significant differences in the attrition rate for males than females (16.4% versus 16.2%) or for those <71 years old versus ≥ 71 years old (16.3% versus 16.2%). The attrition rate for those who participated in the CCP was significantly lower than those who did not (14.8% versus 16.3%, p<0.001 Chi-square).

CONCLUSIONS: Companion care can address unmet social needs including loneliness and social isolation as well as provide an important link to the broader health care system. CCP utilization was associated with lower health plan attrition rates which may have positively impacted care delivery and health outcomes.