Dental Benefit Updates
Starting January 31, 2024, SelectHealth will be covering crowns and root canals in certain circumstances so that you can keep more natural teeth. In addition, replacement dentures and implants will only need a recommendation from your dentist to determine if they are necessary. This will make it easier for you to access these dental services.
VNS Health’s Arthur Fitting, LGBTQ+ Program Manager, featured in Daily Nurse
This powerful article by Arthur Fitting commemorates National HIV/AIDS and Aging Day 2023 and the role of empathy in caring for people living with HIV. Read the full article here.
SelectHealth Member Newsletter – Summer 2023
Arthur Fitting Named to 2023 LGBTQ+ Power Players List
Congratulations to Arthur Fitting, VNS Health LGBTQ+ Program Manager, for being chosen for the 2023 LGBTQ+ Power Players List, published yearly by PoliticsNY, Gay City News, and amNY Metro. Arthur has dedicated his extensive career to addressing health care disparities within the LGBTQ+ community and has remained committed to improving health care access and quality for all.
Arthur Fitting and Shannon Whittington Named by Crain’s as Notable LGBTQIA+ Leaders
We’re proud to announce that VNS Health team members Arthur Fitting, LGBTQ+ Program Manager and Shannon Whittington, Clinical Director, Gender Affirmation Program have each been named to the annual Crain’s Notable LGBTQIA+ Leaders List for 2023. Read more about Arthur and Shannon’s impact in the LGBTQIA+ community and other Crain’s 2023 honorees at https://www.crainsnewyork.com/awards/notable-lgbtq-leaders-and-executives.
Nationwide Shortages of Nutrition Supplements
If your doctor has prescribed a liquid nutrition supplement (such as Ensure, Glucerna or Nestle Boost), be aware that the companies making these drinks are having inventory problems
This means that even if your health plan has approved your doctor’s request for you to get a supplement, the specific drink your doctor prescribed may not be in stock. If that happens, we will let your doctor know so that they can suggest a different product.
You can also ask your doctor to check what nutrition supplements are available when they submit your prescription.
Watch out for Medicaid scams!
Be on the alert for scammers who ask for a fee to help you renew or recertify your Medicaid coverage. Never give out your Medicare or Social Security Numbers over the phone or in a text.
VNS Health and/or your local Medicaid office will send you notices about the renewal process, which may include reminders to update your contact and income information. But we will never ask for money to renew or apply for Medicaid.
If you get a text, phone call or email that you think may be a fraud, contact your local Medicaid office.
COVID-19 Tests
The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ended on May 11, 2023. However, since you have coverage through Medicaid, you will have access to COVID-19 over-the-counter and laboratory testing through September 30, 2024. After that date, coverage of testing may vary by state.
For more information, please read the Consumer Fact Sheet here.
Don’t lose your Medicaid coverage!
Please contact your Medicaid office to give them your current address, phone number, and email address.
Medicaid must have your current contact information to mail you your Medicaid renewal notice. If you do not renew on time, you could lose your Medicaid and be disenrolled from your health plan.
As of June 30, 2023, Medicaid auto-renewals that allowed people to keep their coverage active and enrolled in our plan will end.
Over the next eleven months, sixty days before it’s time to renew, your local Medicaid office will send you a renewal notice. This process will start at the end of March for anyone with a June 30, 2023 renewal date. Please follow the instructions inside the packet.
If you have questions, or need help filling out your Medicaid renewal, please call us. We’re here to help.
Your Care Team
1-866-469-7774 (TTY: 711)
Monday – Friday, 8 am – 6 pm
Mpox (Monkeypox) Outbreak Ends in NYC
On February 1, 2023 the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said the mpox (monkeypox) outbreak is officially over in New York City. Since the outbreak started in May 2022, over 100,000 New Yorkers have been vaccinated against the mpox virus.
If you have been exposed to mpox or have symptoms, contact your health care provider. For more information on mpox, you can visit: https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/monkeypox.page
Dr. Bill LaRock from SelectHealth to Lead Online Workshop
As part of the 2022 Ending the Epidemic (ETE) Summit, Dr. Bill LaRock from SelectHealth will lead an online workshop about his work with Alliance for Positive Change. The presentation, called “Knocking Down Barriers: How Peers Tackle Health Inequities,” will take place November 29 and will include presentations from Alliance peers.
Dr. LaRock is Clinical Director of SelectHealth’s ETE Program, which looks for SelectHealth members who are living with HIV but are not currently in treatment and helps them get back into treatment and stay healthy.
The ETE Summit is an event that takes place every year and is sponsored by the New York State Department of Health (DOH). This year’s Summit is online and takes place November 29 – December 1, 2022.
SelectHealth ETE Program
The SelectHealth ETE Program, in partnership with Alliance for Positive Change, finds SelectHealth members living with HIV who are not currently in treatment and brings them back to medical care. The program pairs these members with specially trained outreach workers called peers.
Dr. Bill LaRock and his team from SelectHealth meet each week with peers from Alliance for Positive Change to talk about these members’ care needs and how to bring them back into care. Once members are back in care, the Program helps them get to the goals of having an undetectable level of HIV and better overall health.
The ETE Program team helps members in many ways, including advocating for a member’s special health needs. For example, the program recently helped a member get approval for a wheelchair when they learned that without this equipment the member had been unable to leave their home for several months.
Additionally, the ETE Program’s peers, some of whom are living with HIV themselves, work closely with members to give hands-on support. Peers help members make doctor appointments and arrange transportation, fill prescriptions, and may go with them to medical visits. Peers can help explain health information and help members stay in treatment by checking in and making appointments for follow up care. Peers may also connect members with support groups and other services they may need.
The program is paid for by a New York State Ending the Epidemic (ETE) grant. It has been highly successful in bringing members back into care and is now in its seventh year.
