New SCHA program offers grocery, co-pay benefits for seniors

South Country Health Alliance (SCHA) will be offering new benefits in 2025 for members served across Steele County.

The county-owned health plan also contracts with Brown, Dodge, Goodhue, Kanabec, Sibley, Waseca and Wabasha counties. CEO Leota Lind told county commissioners last week that SCHA is one of just 62 providers nation-wide taking part in a Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design program. The supplemental benefits will address “social needs” like food, transportation, and living environments.

“One of the huge advantages for our members is that they will no longer have a co-payment for their Part D prescription drugs benefit,” Lind said. While they don’t have a co-payment for drugs covered under Medicaid, she added, “many of our members are on eight or ten medications, which can add up when you look at those co-pays on a monthly basis.”

The hope is that SCHA members will have an easier time taking their medications as prescribed. Some who are on a fixed income often have to make a choice between their co-pays and paying to heat their homes or buy groceries–and end up not taking the medications.

Ultimately, Lind said, that can lead to other health complications.

SCHA will also be able to expand the “home and safety benefit,” $1,000 annually to pay for safety equipment that helps seniors live in their own homes for as long as possible. Now, that will also be available to adults 18-54 who have disabilities.

Also, Lind said, a new program will provide seniors and adults with disabilities some additional help with their grocery shopping.

“We know that food insecurity is one of the many issues our members oftentimes struggle with,” she said. “We hope that this will help improve nutrition and food security.”

The card, loaded quarterly with $130 for seniors and $210 for adults with disabilities, will allow them to purchase foods that are eligible for SNAP program benefits. Benefits do not carry over from quarter to quarter.

Another benefit, home-delivered meals for those coming home from a hospital or nursing facility stay, will expand in 2025. Members will receive up to two meals per day. Along with providing nutrition that’s important for their recovery, the program also brings a social component.

"Many of our members live on their own,” Lind said. With the home visits, “someone is actually laying eyes on that individual on a regular basis.”

In her quarterly report, Lind also talked about the Delfina health tracking app piloted in Steele County last year for women who are pregnant and 12 months postpartum. Users can track their mood, weight, and other data, and get feedback. When inputs are out of the norm, the app provides a recommendation to contact the user's health care provider. The app also offers a wealth of educational material, Lind said.

The hope was to get 10 members enrolled; the pilot served 19, and feedback was very favorable, she added.