Insurers Work to Address Homelessness

From Health Plan Weekly

As health insurers strive to address the social factors that affect health outcomes, some are discovering the value in connecting members to stable and affordable housing and thus improving their health.

UnitedHealthcare has so far helped finance and build 54 affordable-housing communities in 14 states. In Los Angeles, for example, UnitedHealth spent $19 million to fund a still-under-construction "one-stop housing and care center" as well as a program called Just in Reach, which aims to break cycles of homelessness and re-incarceration.

Another notable effort comes from UPMC Health Plan, which has been working with a Pittsburgh agency called Community Human Services since 2010 on an initiative that uses U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding to help coordinate care and provide stable housing for Medicaid and dual-eligible individuals who are homeless.

The housing initiative stems from discussions about how to help members who used the ER frequently, were readmitted to the hospital often and had a lot of unplanned care and poor medication adherence.

The initiative has saved the insurer $6,500 per person per year for the roughly 70 people who have gone through the program. The primary care utilization and medication adherence increased, while hospital admissions, ER visits, detoxes and crises declined.

Then there’s AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia, which recently announced the second round of grants in its two-phase, $250,000 investment in D.C.-based organizations working to address homelessness.

According to Karen Dale, market president of AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia, many of its more than 110,000 members in D.C. struggle to afford and maintain decent housing, making it "nearly impossible" for them to focus on their health.

"Nothing is more important than having a roof over your head — that's a foundational component to launching anyone’s health and wellness," Dale says.

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