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Centene Corporation CNC recently unveiled that its subsidiary, 'Ohana Health Plan, collaborated with the nonprofit homeless services organization on Hawaii Island, Hope Services Hawaii. The tie-up was meant to introduce a residential program offering integrated clinical care exclusively to 'Ohana Health Plan members.
The transitional housing and structured support are provided through a property, which is owned by the County of Hawaii and operates under an existing lease agreement with Hope Services. It is a six-bed facility that offers emergency shelter services to the homelessness.
The newly launched program emphasizes comprehensive, long-term clinical care and case management, with an average residency of one year. The services include providing behavioral health case management, therapy and psychosocial rehabilitation facilitated by licensed clinicians, medication management overseen by an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and housing case management support. Additionally, a multidisciplinary team will collaborate to coordinate health and care services, ensuring a holistic approach to addressing the needs of participants.
This, in turn, is expected to provide an opportunity to recover for 'Ohana’s highest-acuity members grappling with homelessness, particularly those with behavioral health needs often compounded by complex medical conditions that cannot be adequately addressed through traditional subsidized housing. Besides, this residential program is designed to substantially decrease the occurrence of sudden and severe health issues requiring urgent medical attention. By doing so, it aims to lower the costs associated with emergency room visits and inpatient care while enhancing overall behavioral and physical health outcomes.
Benefits of the Recent Move to Centene
Introduction of such a beneficial residential program feature is expected to enhance the attractiveness of plans distributed by the Centene subsidiary, which boasts of being a leading provider of government-sponsored managed care services across Hawaii. The services are primarily offered through QUEST (Medicaid), Medicare Advantage (Wellcare) and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (Wellcare).
As a result of the latest move, 'Ohana Health Plan is likely to attract new members as well as retain existing ones within their plans. A growing customer base brings higher premiums, which usually account for a major chunk of a health insurer’s top line.
Centene’s total membership was 28.6 million as of Sept. 30, 2024, which grew 2.4% year over year. Meanwhile, premiums rose 5.3% year over year in the first nine months of 2024. In October 2024, CNC’s Michigan subsidiary, Meridian Health Plan of Michigan, was chosen by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to deliver integrated Medicare and Medicaid services to dually eligible residents via a new plan, Highly Integrated Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan.