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Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller and Department of Aging Secretary Robert Torres are reminding Pennsylvania residents about the upcoming rollout of the Community HealthChoices program.
CHC, a managed long-term services and supports program, launches on Jan. 1, 2020, for residents of central, northeast, and northwest Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley.
CHC is Pennsylvania’s managed-care program for individuals who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare and for individuals who are 21 or older with physical disabilities requiring long-term services and supports.
CHC was developed to improve access to and coordination of medical and person-centered long-term services and supports with a goal of giving people choice, control, and access to a full array of services.
Pennsylvania residents who are eligible for CHC were notified and reminded of this transition, what it means for them, and important deadlines throughout the summer and fall.
Eligible participants had until Nov. 13 to select their managed care organization. After this, participants were automatically enrolled in one of the three MCOs providing services for CHC participants.
If a participant would like to change their MCO, they are able to do that at any time. Participants have until Dec. 20 to make a plan-selection change in order for it to be effective Jan. 1, 2020. After that point, MCO changes will take effect beginning later in 2020.
The Wolf Administration encourages all future CHC participants to review their MCO selection and make necessary changes before Dec. 20, so they are effective when the new year begins.
“CHC is providing options for many eligible Pennsylvanians in their communities,” said Torres. “This is especially noteworthy because we know that the majority of older adults want to age in place. CHC is empowering more seniors to live the way they want, while having access to long-term services they need.”
The Wolf Administration launched CHC in Pennsylvania’s southwest region in January 2018 and in the southeast in January 2019; the program now includes about 210,000 participants.
Data from the southwest region shows that in CHC’s first year, the rate of individuals served in the community increased from 49.7% to 52.2%.
The rollout in the remainder of the commonwealth will include approximately 143,000 individuals. When fully implemented across the state, CHC will include approximately 400,000 Pennsylvanians, 94% of whom are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.
For more information on plan selection, call (844) 824-3655 (TTY (833) 254-0690) or visit www.enrollchc.com.
For more information on the CHC program, visit www.healthchoices.pa.gov/info/about/community or call (833) 735-4416.