AmeriHealth Caritas Launches First of Three Investments to Support Innovative Community-Based Programs for Vulnerable Pennsylvanians

First investment forges solution with SeniorLAW Center to mitigate the risk of eviction and promote independence through continued community-based living

AmeriHealth Caritas, a national leader in Medicaid managed care and other health care solutions for those most in need, is demonstrating its commitment to long-term services and supports by launching a series of investments in community-based solutions to support vulnerable Pennsylvanians. The first of three planned investments will provide at-risk older adults with access to housing-related legal assistance.

Through the AmeriHealth Caritas’ Community HealthChoices (CHC) health plans, the plans of choice for eligible Pennsylvanians, $200,000 has been granted to SeniorLAW Center to fund this new initiative.

“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,” said Stephan Roker, Senior Vice President, Community HealthChoices for AmeriHealth Caritas. “For many older people, this assistance begins with understanding both their options and their legal rights related to housing, which this program will address.”

Through this grant to SeniorLAW Center, up to 750 participants, age 60 and above, enrolled with 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. According to the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey, more than 1 in 5 older adults say they are either “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to have to leave home due to eviction in the next two months. 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,” said Karen Buck, Esq., Executive Director of SeniorLAW Center. “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.”

AmeriHealth Caritas will make additional investments in community-based programs in the coming months. These will seek to address workforce training and close the digital divide.

About AmeriHealth Caritas 

AmeriHealth Caritas is one of the nation’s leaders in health care solutions for those most in need. Operating in 13 states and the District of Columbia, 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. Headquartered in Pennsylvania, AmeriHealth Caritas is a mission-driven organization with more than 40 years of experience serving low-income and chronically ill populations. For more information, visit www.amerihealthcaritas.com.

About SeniorLAW Center 

With over 45 years of experience and a diverse nonprofit staff of attorneys and advocates, SeniorLAW Center seeks justice for older people using the power of the law, educating the community and advocating on local, state and national levels. Through its expert teams providing an array of legal services, unique statewide SeniorLAW HelpLine, pro bono partnerships, court-based access to justice projects, and national and statewide advocacy and leadership, SeniorLAW Center serves over 10,000 older Pennsylvanians each year, focusing on those in the greatest economic and social need. The Center is the only nonprofit in Pennsylvania wholly dedicated to the legal rights of older people and one of few in the nation. For more information, visit seniorlawcenter.org.

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