Keystone First Community Health Choices launches initiative to enhance participant access to nutrition programs

Keystone First Community HealthChoices – a Blue Cross Medical Assistance (Medicaid) plan for Community HealthChoices participants in southeastern Pennsylvania – is working with Benefits Data Trust (BDT), a national non-profit organization, on a special initiative to help Community HealthChoices participants apply for financial assistance to pay for nutritious food that can improve health.

NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA. — Philadelphia-based BDT leverages data and technology to help eligible people access essential benefits and services, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). BDT will help address food insecurity and other social determinants of health for the health plan’s participants in Pennsylvania’s Community HealthChoices program.

Community HealthChoices serves Pennsylvanians ages 21 and older who are eligible for Medicaid and Medicare or qualify to receive Long-Term Services and Support.

SNAP participation in older adults has been linked to reductions in emergency department visits and hospital and nursing home admissions, leading to $2,360 in Medicaid savings per person per year, according to the Annals of Internal Medicine.[1]

BDT will reach out to Community HealthChoices participants who are likely eligible for public assistance, inviting them to call the Pennsylvania Benefits Center, operated by BDT. Specialists at the Pennsylvania Benefits Center will assist participants over the phone to screen them for eligibility for up to 19 public benefit programs. The BDT specialists submit applications and referrals on behalf of the plan participants, streamlining their experience by connecting them to multiple public benefit programs simultaneously.