Medicaid agencies and healthcare plans across the USA are working cross-sector and exploring ways in which housing can help stabilize and improve medical outcomes for their members.  Lets examine 5 innovative projects, partnerships and programs out there.

1- Seattle/King County Housing Authority and King County Public Health- These organizations came together to do a data share.  The data share showed some very interesting conclusions.First, there are high levels of overlap between the public housing authority (PHA) and Medicaid populations in King County.  In 2012, 74% of PHA residents were enrolled in Medicaid; by 2016, this enrollment rate had increased to 83%, largely due to the expansion of Medicaid in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act. Enrollment rates vary by PHA population groups, with children (ages 0-17) having the highest enrollment (91%) and young adults (ages 18-24) having the lowest enrollment (77%). Overall, PHA residents represent 11% of the Medicaid population within King County.

PHA residents are more likely to receive care for chronic conditions than the non-PHA Medicaid population. Across all years, PHA residents were more likely to engage with the healthcare system than the non-PHA Medicaid population for all chronic conditions included in this analysis (e.g., hypertension, diabetes). For example, in 2016, the rate of service utilization for hypertension among people aged 45-61 years was 2.0 times higher in the KCHA population and 1.6 times higher in the SHA population as compared to the non-PHA Medicaid population..  That information could be very valuable in designing solutions to help those families in those areas.  For more information click here

2-Promedica Health Plan- Toledo Ohio-  “KeyBank and ProMedica announced a joint commitment of $2.65 million to drive economic development in central Toledo-area neighborhoods through revitalized local housing and the reduction of blight. Working with the Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC), the corporations will work to upgrade affordable rental properties while at the same time making it easier for first-time home-buyers to establish roots in communities adjacent to downtown Toledo.”  The group will preserve 700 units of rental housing that aged out of federal programs.  Click here for more information-

3- Bud Clark Commons- Portland Oregon- This development has made a huge difference to the chronically homeless population in Portland.  The building has 130 units of permanent supportive housing, a shelter, a medical clinic and a day center.   In the year before they moved into BCC, residents on Medicaid averaged total health care costs of $1,626 per month. In the year after moving in, average costs were $899 per month, a 45% decline. Total cost Medicaid cost reductions were greater than one-half of a million dollars in the first year following resident move-in.  Read full report here- 

4- State of Arizona Medicaid Department’s AHCCCS Complete Care (ACC)- The State of Arizona is moving their health care system towards integration of behavioral and physical health.  Within this major shift, the Medicaid department required that every health plan in the system has a housing specialist on staff.  The housing specialist will be the central conduit with the health plans to connect members who need housing or services to the right systems and providers.

5- Kaiser Permanente- Kaiser recently announced that they would be investing over $200 million dollars into homeless issues.  They will look to invest in projects that can help low income and homeless persons but at the same time return profits.  The idea would then be to drive the profit back into programs. – Read more here

What innnovative programs have you seen?  Leave a message and let us know.

Source Information

Promedica Website

King County Health Website

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