Angela K. Perone, PhD, JD, MSW, MA

Angela K. Perone, PhD, JD, MSW, MA, is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Social Welfare and serves as the Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of Aging Services (CASAS). She is a licensed attorney, gerontologist, and health scholar. She previously served as a senior health policy fellow in the United States Senate and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and also Executive Director for a nonprofit providing services for older adults in the Detroit Metro region. Her work bridges the fields of law, sociology, public health, and social work to improve health and long-term care systems for all older adults. 

Dr. Perone has received several national awards for her research, including the Rose Dobrof Award for excellence in research scholarship from the Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work, the Rising Star Early Career Faculty Award from the Academy in Gerontology in Higher Education, the Carroll L. Estes Rising Star Award from the Gerontological Society of America, and the National Bronze Award for Innovative Research on Aging from the Mather Institute. She has also received the Graduate Assembly Faculty Mentor Award from the University of California, Berkeley.

Longevity and Healthy Aging Project:  AI-Enhanced Navigation of Medicare Advantage Appeals

This research addresses a critical barrier to healthy aging and longevity: the increasing rate of healthcare denials within Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. While private MA plans now enroll more than half of all eligible older adults, they frequently utilize automated tools to deny prior authorizations and payment requests, even when those requests meet Medicare coverage rules.

This project employs a mixed-methods approach to analyze insurance denial patterns and test an innovative solution: the use of Counterforce Health’s AI tool to streamline and facilitate the appeals process. By helping healthcare clinics and older adults navigate the administrative hurdles of insurance, the study seeks to ensure that patients receive the essential medical care they are entitled to, thereby promoting healthy aging and longevity.