For Anthem HealthKeepers Plus, the Taste of Annadale is all about outreach to the public

Patricia Moreno

Many lower-income residents in Virginia who are eligible for Medicaid don’t realize they can get excellent benefits beyond basic healthcare if they join Anthem HealthKeepers Plus.

That’s why the company gets involved in community events, such as signing on as a Silver-level sponsor of the Taste of Annandale, a street festival on Oct. 13.

Anthem HealthKeepers Plus is one of six managed care organizations contracted by the state of Virginia to serve people who participate in the state’s Medicaid program. Healthkeepers Plus has about 60,000 members in Northern Virginia.

Medicaid covers healthcare costs, including doctor visits, hospitalization, and prescriptions for adults with disabilities, and parents with children who meet certain income eligibility limits.

Anthem HealthKeepers Plus offers additional benefits to Medicaid recipients, such as free transportation to medical appointments, free transportation to pick up emergency food, language interpretation services, 24-hour nursing care, over-the-counter medications, and much more.

To take advantage of those benefits, HealthKeepers Plus members must go to one of the many healthcare providers that participate in the Anthem health insurance program.

Currently, Virginians must be 18 or younger or 65 or older and have very low incomes to be eligible for Medicaid. This spring, the Virginia General Assembly approved an expansion of the state Medicaid program, granting eligibility to certain adults age 19 to 64. The measure also raised the income limits. The new program takes effect in January.

That expansion means 40,000 additional uninsured Virginia residents – including 28,000 in Northern Virginia – will have access to health insurance.

Anthem HealthKeepers Plus, however, “is more than numbers,” says outreach specialist Patricia Moreno. “It’s about helping people and empowering the community.”

“That’s why we like to partner with events like the Taste of Annandale,” Moreno says. “I like the Taste of Annandale because it welcomes everyone in the community.”

She talks to people about the need to have health insurance and to consider the benefits offered by Anthem HealthKeepers Plus at health clinics, kindergarten registration events, health fairs, doctor’s offices, homeless shelters, health agencies, schools, and stores.

“We want to educate people to empower them to make good decisions about their health,” Moreno says.