UPMC for You partners with Fabric Health
UPMC’s Medicaid managed care plan, UPMC for You, is partnering with Fabric Health to provide on-site health support and access to social services for individuals utilizing certain laundromats. The initiative will provide Wi-Fi access and will station Fabric Health staff in laundromats to help individuals navigate access to preventative and other healthcare coverage, apply for assistance programs, including Medicaid, SNAP, LIHEAP and connect with other support services. UPMC for You is part of a family of health insurance and benefits management products offered by UPMC Insurance Services.
“The partnership weaves UPMC’s resources into the fabric of the community,” said Allister Chang, co-founder of Fabric Health. “Together we are creating a front door for UPMC for You members to access many benefits.”
The initiative will start in laundromats located in Edgewood, Mt. Washington, Shadyside, South Park Township and West Mifflin. The partnership reflects UPMC for You’s commitment to meeting members and others where they are to conveniently deliver access to care, coverage and services in a coordinated, community-based manner. According to Fabric Health, more than 32 million Americans utilize a laundromat each week; these businesses provide opportunities to connect with individuals who may need support.
[Read more: Majority of retail pharmacists fear losing Medicare-eligible patients]
“UPMC for You wants to make accessing social supports and health care coverage for those in need as convenient and easy as possible—even if it means reaching out to one individual at a time,” said John Lovelace, president of UPMC for You, and president of government programs. “We are excited to partner with Fabric Health in this community-based effort to help busy – and often overwhelmed—individuals access the health and other supports they and their loved ones need, perhaps even literally while waiting for their clothes to dry.”
The initiative launches at a crucial time, given that continuous coverage requirements for Medicaid and CHIP enrollees that had been in place in response to COVID-19 will end on April 1, 2023, meaning that recipients covered by Medicaid and CHIP could be disenrolled from coverage if they do not complete a renewal timely. While renewals will be sent over a period of 12 months, UPMC for You said it is working closely with community partners, providers, and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to educate its members about the importance of completing renewals on time. Additionally, members who lose Medicaid eligibility also will receive education about applying for coverage from Pennie, Pennsylvania’s state-based health and dental insurance marketplace, or other coverage where appropriate.
“This partnership also provides an avenue to assist those who may lose Medicaid coverage with the end of the continuous coverage requirement, as the laundromat-based Fabric Health staff can even help those losing Medicaid find other coverage through CHIP or the Individual Marketplace and apply for other benefits,” Lovelace said.
Since 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has required Medicaid Managed Care Organizations to work with community organizations to accelerate their role in delivering value-based health care. The partnership with Fabric Health is the latest innovative step taken by UPMC for You to work with local partners to serve members of the community.
[Read more: Pharmacy of the future: Integrating SDOH to understand patient needs]
“The partnership between UPMC for You and Fabric Health is an innovative and effective way to ease barriers to support and help people navigate and get connected to services. As we prepare for Medicaid renewals, creative partnerships to connect with and assist members will be important to keeping people connected to health care coverage,” said Sally Kozak, deputy secretary of the Office of Medical Assistance Programs at the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.