AmeriHealth Caritas, a national leader in Medicaid managed care and other healthcare solutions for those most in need, recently announced the launch of a package of investments in community solutions to support vulnerable Pennsylvanians.

Stephan Roker, senior vice president of Community HealthChoices for AmeriHealth Caritas, said in a press release:

We are committed to supporting Pennsylvanians with complex health care needs in innovative and efficient ways, with an overriding goal to promote independent living and participant satisfaction.

Benefits for Seniors

The company, which with the allocation of these resources strengthens its commitment to long-term services and supports, granted the first of three investments to the community of older adults at risk, who will have access to legal assistance related to housing.

Through AmeriHealth Caritas' Community HealthChoices (CHC) health plans $200,000 were awarded to the SeniorLAW Center to fund this new initiative.

"For many older people, this assistance begins with understanding both their options and their legal rights related to housing, which this program will address,” added Roker. 

Up to 750 participants, ages 60 and older, enrolled in AmeriHealth Caritas CHC health plans will have access to housing-related legal assistance focused on mitigating the risk of eviction and promoting continued independence through community-based living.

Vulnerable Community

AmeriHealth Caritas shared data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey, in which more than 1 in 5 older adults say they are “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to have to leave their home due to eviction in the next two months.

Additionally, the company notes that in Pennsylvania, 33% of “extremely low-income renter households” are headed by seniors, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

“Our team is excited to work with AmeriHealth Caritas to address the vital connection between health, safe shelter, independence, and access to justice,” pointed out Karen Buck, Esq., executive director of SeniorLAW Center.

We’re launching a series of investments in community-based solutions to support vulnerable #Pennsylvanians.The first of three grants, to @seniorlawcenter, will provide at-risk older adults with access to #housing-related legal assistance. Learn more here: https://t.co/7u6MJiBllX

— AmeriHealth Caritas (@AmCaritas) September 28, 2023

AmeriHealth Caritas reported that it will make additional investments in community programs in the coming months, which will seek to address workforce training and close the digital divide.

“Legal services are an essential tool in addressing housing insecurity, notably because the law impacts our lives in dramatic ways, particularly low-income older people. This grant will help prevent eviction, foreclosure, illegal lockouts, uninhabitable conditions, utility shutoffs, contractor fraud, and other crises which make the difference between safe housing and homelessness. We are privileged to serve those upon whose shoulders we all stand,” highlighted Buck.

About AmeriHealth Caritas

Headquartered in Pennsylvania and operating in 13 states and the District of Columbia, it is one of the nation's leaders in healthcare solutions for those most in need.

AmeriHealth Caritas serves approximately 5 million Medicaid, Medicare, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Health Insurance Marketplace® members through its integrated managed care products, pharmaceutical benefit management and specialty pharmacy services, and behavioral health services.