Habitat Health will help low-income seniors continue to live independently by providing comprehensive medical care and insurance through PACE.
OAKLAND, CA and NEW YORK, March 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Kaiser Permanente and Town Hall Ventures today announced the launch of Habitat Health, an organization designed to help seniors overcome the challenges of aging at home. Operating as a comprehensive senior care program, Habitat Health will support its participants to live independently in their homes and communities with comprehensive care leading to better health outcomes. The company will serve older people in partnership with local care partners, starting first in California with Kaiser Permanente, and then nationally.
Habitat Health plans to begin serving seniors in Sacramento and The angels in 2025. Through Habitat Health, low-income participants will be able to stay in their homes and receive comprehensive and personalized support.
“Our dedication to helping improve the health of our communities and members includes ensuring that people covered by Medicaid and Medicare can count on receiving the care and coordination that Kaiser Permanente provides to our members,” they said Poor Shuker, MD, Chief Health Officer, Kaiser Permanente. “By combining our experience in integrated care with Town Hall Ventures’ experience in launching businesses that support underserved communities, Habitat Health will help ensure that the people who need the most care have access to high-quality, equitable medical care and services as they continue to age well in the communities that have cared for and supported them.”
Eligible participants joining Habitat Health will be high-needs seniors, most of whom are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. The company’s partnership with Kaiser Permanente will serve as a model for future partnerships with other providers in their local markets across the country. Habitat Health’s goal is to become a leading national provider rooted in local partnerships, ensuring the delivery of high-quality care to PACE participants.
“This new partnership aims to improve care and quality of life for the growing number of Americans who need it most,” said Maria Ansari, MD, FACC, CEO and Executive Director, The Permanente Medical Group. “Kaiser Permanente members who choose to join Habitat Health will receive continuity of care at PACE centers and in their home beginning in Sacramento“, she added.
Habitat Health will benefit from Kaiser Permanente’s expertise in creating efficient systems and developing innovative technologies to integrate complex care, as well as Town Hall Ventures’ experience in building successful care delivery companies that support underserved communities. Habitat Health will serve as the payer for all participants’ Medicare and Medicaid services as determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. PACE, a program with roots in the 1970s, has developed a track record of providing participants with superior outcomes in terms of quality, longevity, cost and patient experience compared to nursing homes.
“We have an extraordinary challenge in this country. The number of people age 85 and older in our country will double by 2040. We need a better response for the millions of seniors that is more humane, compassionate, scalable and affordable for the nation,” said Andy Slavitt, General Partner, Town Hall Ventures. “We share Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to finding innovative ways to improve community health, especially for the underserved populations that need it most.”
About Town Hall Ventures
Founded in 2018, Town Hall Ventures has invested in or co-founded 35 companies that are improving the way care is delivered to underserved and underrepresented communities. Selected portfolio companies include Cityblock Health, Curana Health, Equality Health, Landmark Health, Signify Health, Suvida Health, Strive Health, Thyme Care, Unite Us and VillageMD. Learn more at www.townhallventures.com.
About habitat health
Habitat Health was founded in 2023 to provide fully integrated health and social care to seniors on Medicare or Medicaid who wish to remain living independently in their homes and communities. The company operates its model through the Program for Comprehensive Care for the Elderly (“PACE”) in collaboration with local community partners. The company is backed by Kaiser Permanente, Town Hall Ventures and New Enterprise Associates. For more information, visit www.habitathealth.com.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of healthcare. We are recognized as one of America’s leading providers of not-for-profit health services and health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care and improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 12.5 million members in 8 states and District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their overall health and is led by their personal physicians, specialists and a team of Permanente Medical Group caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technological advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to innovation in care, clinical research, health education and public health support. For more information go to about.kp.org.
For more information contact:
Steve Shivinsky: [email protected]
SOURCE Kaiser Permanente
