Elevance Health announced at the Consumer Electronics Show 2024 that it will launch a first-of-its-kind program that will offer high-quality smartphones with unlimited data, talk, and texting service at no cost to eligible individuals enrolled in some of its affiliated Medicaid health plans. These devices will be preloaded with a customized experience and give individuals access to digital and virtual healthcare tools that they might otherwise not have had. This effort is a result of a collaboration between Elevance Health and Verizon, together with Samsung, AT&T, and T-Mobile.

It is supported by funding from the Federal Communications Commission?s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Elevance Health?s program is different from other ACP benefits because of its high-quality offerings, customization, and healthcare focus. Nearly one in four U.S. adults with household incomes below $30,000 a year do not own a smartphone, and 43% do not have home broadband internet services.

Among these, half report the high cost of connectivity as the reason for such unavailability. This program is designed to help close the gap between individuals who have access to digital tools and those who do not, and offer easy-to-access benefits digitally as part of their Medicaid plan. The provided smartphones will serve as a connection point for individuals to reach their Medicaid health plan care team, who can help address their whole-health needs.

Program participants will have access to complementary educational materials on how to use and navigate the smartphone as well as a dedicated customer service call center for support, if needed. The program will launch in multiple states in 2024, with the ambitious goal of reaching hundreds of thousands of members within Elevance Health's affiliated Medicaid plans. Individuals will work with their Elevance Health affiliated Medicaid health plan to check their eligibility for financial support through the ACP.

Eligible individuals will then work with their Medicaid health plan to participate in the program. Once this program has been launched in respective states, Medicaid members can contact member services using the number listed on the back of their insurance card to learn more.