A new entrant in the Medicare support landscape is betting that the biggest barrier to better outcomes isn’t clinical care—it’s logistics.
Baba has emerged from stealth with more than $6.5 million in seed funding led by General Catalyst. The company is building a patient advocacy platform for older adults, designed to address what it calls “operational breakdowns” in the healthcare system—missed follow-ups, denied prior authorizations, unclear next steps, and fragmented care coordination.
Rather than positioning AI as a replacement for human interaction, Baba is taking a hybrid approach.
At the core of the model are dedicated human advocates—nurses and social workers—embedded directly into a patient’s care journey. These advocates intervene at high-friction points: disputing insurance denials, coordinating across providers, managing care transitions, and resolving administrative delays that can derail treatment plans.
Layered on top is a text- and voice-based AI companion that supports daily engagement. The AI sends reminders, monitors for early warning signals such as missed medications, and flags potential risks. When issues arise, the system escalates to a human advocate for follow-up.
This tiered structure is designed to balance scale with high-touch care, particularly for high-acuity Medicare and Medicare Advantage populations. The model is structured to be reimbursable under Medicare frameworks, aligning financial incentives with patient support.
Baba’s advisory bench includes MIT economist Jon Gruber, one of the architects of the Affordable Care Act. The company is also launching a clinical study with Johns Hopkins to evaluate its impact on measurable health outcomes—an important step in proving that operational support can translate into clinical and cost improvements.
The premise is straightforward: for many older adults, the failure point in healthcare isn’t a lack of treatment options, but the system’s complexity. If Baba can demonstrate that embedding advocacy into the care continuum reduces breakdowns and improves adherence, it could carve out a distinct role in the growing Medicare navigation market.
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