AN alliance has been formed to help the the most vulnerable in Kansas with health care.

Organizers say the CareSource HealthAlliance uniquely combines CareSource with three prominent and well-respected statewide organizations with deep Kansas roots.

InterHab, the Children’s Alliance, the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas and CareSource Kansas will collaborate to offer KanCare 3.0 recipients an innovative and unique Medicaid health plan option focused on the whole person.

“We know that integrating the deep expertise of leading, influential organizations into the design and governance of Medicaid programs consistently improves health equity, member experience and health outcomes while managing the cost of care,” said Erhardt Preitauer, president and CEO of CareSource. “I’m confident that this alliance will reinvigorate health care in Kansas and become a national model.”

To form the CareSource HealthAlliance, CareSource has partnered exclusively with:

• InterHab, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Topeka, has dedicated over 50 years to enhancing the well-being of individuals in Kansas who live with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• The Children’s Alliance of Kansas bolsters children and families by championing advocacy, networking and education. The organization spearheads the national preparation of kin, foster and adoptive parents through its development of certified trainers and leaders in the Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting program.
• The Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas Inc. advocates for the welfare of both community mental health centers and the individuals to whom they cater. The organization achieves this through legislative representation, providing leadership and professional education, showcasing model practices and programs and identifying resources to tackle the challenges faced by local mental health authorities.

All three organizations will collectively guide the CareSource HealthAlliance model of care, access to care, operational excellence and community reinvestment, while ensuring a high level of quality, transparency and accountability.

“The CareSource HealthAlliance provides a path forward for our members to have greater participation in the system,” said Matt Fletcher, executive director of InterHab. “CareSource listens to providers, introduces innovative methods for providing support and demonstrates a willingness to form a truly collaborative alliance aimed at addressing the longstanding issues that have plagued our system. The model of care we’re developing together is an opportunity for the rest of the country to see a truly modernized I/DD system.”

“The CareSource HealthAlliance is the first opportunity in Kansas for an integrated approach to delivering health care services for children and families in foster care in a way that is transformational in our state,” said Rachel Marsh, CEO of Children’s Alliance of Kansas. “Families we serve need a range of services from mental health support to substance abuse to intellectual developmental disability support or a combination of those. Now, we can inform health care from the whole family’s perspective.”

“We saw an opportunity to form a health plan unique in our state’s Medicaid program that can address social determinants of health and preventive care first and foremost,” said Kyle Kessler, executive director at the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas. “We believe it will improve health outcomes for a vulnerable population while also establishing the best health care service delivery system in the country.”

CareSource has administered one of the largest Medicaid managed care plans in the U.S. since its founding in 1989, now serving over 2.3 million members in multiple states. CareSource offers health insurance including Medicaid, Marketplace and Medicare products. As a mission-driven organization, CareSource is transforming health care with innovative programs that address the social determinants of health, health equity, prevention and access to care.

CareSource Kansas was formed to offer programs and products in the state of Kansas. CareSource opened an office in Topeka in 2021 with a vision of bringing a unique member-centric model to Medicaid members enrolled in KanCare. Already, the organization awarded nearly $500,000 to community-based organizations combatting food insecurity, offering workforce development programming, supporting Kansans who need complex medical care and fighting poverty.