NIAGARA network
Helping People Move Forward with Their Lives.
What you need to know about
Medicaid Changes
Do you receive services through a Medicaid Waiver?
Do you receive Medicaid services? Not sure?
M
edicaid is the nation’s public health insurance program
for people with low income. On average, 1 in every 5
low-income Americans, (or 5,225 Millcreek residents
in poverty) rely on Medicaid, to pay for their complex and costly
needs for care, including those with disabilities and older adults.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, there are a lot of changes in store for
people who receive Medicaid (previously called Medical Assistance
or “Waiver” in Pennsylvania). This will be re-named “Health
Choices” and “Community Health Choices” (CHC) for everyone
in Pennsylvania beginning in 2020. CHC will emphasize more
coordination between Medicare and Medicaid and other services.
The majority of individuals who will be part of CHC are healthy
and well and do NOT have needs that are typically provided in
facilities such as nursing homes. But for the 2,200 in Erie County
who are in nursing homes, and the additional 1,800 who are in
Waiver programs, their services will no longer be paid directly
from the state to the provider, but through one of 3 Managed Care
Organization health plans.
IMPORTANT: YOUR MEDICARE BENEFITS WILL NOT
CHANGE, THIS ALSO WILL NOT CHANGE ANY MEDICARE
ADVANTAGE PLAN BENEFITS!
Community Health Choices (CHC) will only change payments
for those receiving MEDICAID. People who are receiving Medicare
are not going to be affected by these changes. People who receive
services through an Intellectual Disability Program will also not
be affected by these changes. In this article, you will find a few
questions/responses which may be helpful to you.
The reasons Pennsylvania has implemented this change which
affects more than 450,000 Pennsylvanians and approximately 2,000
Millcreek residents. (Approximately 640 of which use long term
services and supports through waivers, facilities, nursing homes, or
LIFE participants.) are to enhanced opportunities for community –
based living rather than facilities, strengthen coordination between
Medicare and Medicaid, better quality and accountability, advance
innovation and increase efficiency and effectiveness,
In addition to any of the trusted professionals through the
Niagara Network in Erie (www.Niagaranetwork.net ) Pennsylvania
offers a free health insurance counseling program called APPRISE
through the GECAC Area Agency on Aging. Counselors can
answer questions about Medicare, Medicare Supplemental
Insurance, Medicaid, and Long-Term Care. Call 1-800-783-7067.
For Persons with Disabilities, the Centers for Independent Living
(CIL) locally are Community Resources for Independence (CRI)
crinet.org 1-800-530-5541 and Voices For Independence (VFI)
vficil.org 1-866-407-0064. Also, you can get assistance from the
Achieva Family Trust 1-888-272-7229 ACHIEVAFamilyTrust.org
Q.1 Will this change impact me?
If you are receiving Medicaid, you will receive a letter in the mail
from Pennsylvania Department of Human Services notifying you in
August or September 2019.
Continued on next page >
MILLCREEK
❘
FALL 2019
61