SCAN Health Plan – “Health Insurance Is Broken”

For decades, major health insurance ads have sold seniors a fantasy—beachside yoga, sunrise workouts, and the illusion that everything is fine. But that’s not the reality. Instead, seniors wrangled with real issues like confusing benefits, denied coverage, and a total lack of support.

This is the reality SCAN Health Plan has been fighting since 1977. As a nonprofit Medicare Advantage plan, SCAN wanted to stand out in the sea of saccharine sameness and advocate for change. So, SCAN did what no health insurer had ever dared to do: defy the status quo in an industry rampant with toxic positivity by declaring “Health Insurance Is Broken.”

That acknowledgement became the brand’s rallying cry for a bold 60-second hero film that expanded across channels. The work rejected cliches and showed real frustrations, positioning SCAN as the only plan willing to speak the truth.

What began as a marketing campaign evolved into a unifying statement of purpose, reinforcing SCAN’s identity as an advocate willing to confront the system on behalf of seniors. As employees put it, “It became more than a campaign. It became who we are.”

During one of the most competitive and turbulent Medicare enrollment periods, the campaign drove 127,000 new enrollments—a 290% increase over the previous year. That level of growth fundamentally changed SCAN’s trajectory as a nonprofit Medicare Advantage plan.

Beyond enrollment, the campaign ignited conversation outside paid media. Its bold admission cut through the noise—receiving coverage in trade and industry media, including Modern Healthcare, Ad Age, and podcasts—and sparked public discussion about the realities of health insurance. SCAN’s CEO was publicly praised for acknowledging the system’s flaws, with commenters calling the work a true reflection of SCAN’s rebellious, mission-first legacy. By validating seniors’ experience with health insurance, this campaign rebuilt trust in a skeptical category. The result was not only unprecedented growth, but belief—proof that telling the truth can move people to action and create

meaningful change.