CMS has approved an Arkansas Medicaid waiver that will test interventions to address housing, food insecurity and other health-related social needs.
Arkansas will work with local hospitals and community partners to advance three types of "Life360 HOMEs," which are designed to connect people to health services and community support programs while engaging participants in promoting their own health, according to a Nov. 1 CMS news release.
Rural Life360 HOMEs — the latter word standing for Health and Opportunity for Me — will support individuals with serious mental illness and/or substance use diagnoses who live in rural areas.
Maternal Life360 HOMEs will support individuals with high-risk pregnancies up to two years postpartum.
Success Life360 HOMEs will support adults ages 19 to 24 at high risk for long-term poverty and poor health outcomes due to prior incarceration, involvement with the foster care system or involvement with the juvenile justice system. It will also support veterans ages 19 to 30 who are at high risk of homelessness.
CMS is also authorizing the state to provide or increase coverage for certain other services to these beneficiaries, such as critical nutritional services, case management, outreach and education, according to the release.
In addition, Arkansas will be required to monitor the demonstration systematically and have an independent evaluation conducted to determine outcomes and effects.