MARCH 2009
MHSA Announces Striking Medicaid Cost Savings Through Housing First
Latest Home & Healthy for Good report with Medicaid claims data shows 67 percent reduction in Medicaid costs
Home & Healthy for Good continues to lead the housing revolution in Massachusetts, moving the Commonwealth ever closer to a humane, efficient, and cost-effective solution to chronic homelessness. An evaluation of the Housing First program, with a focus on cost per participant and projected cost savings in state-funded programs, is ongoing.
Recent highlights include:
- As of February 23, 2009, 357 formerly chronically homeless people have been housed in the Home & Healthy for Good (HHG) program.
- Tenant retention stands at 84 percent.
- The projected annual cost savings to the Commonwealth per housed tenant is $8,948.52.
- Based on new Medicaid claims data, annual Medicaid costs per person plummeted from an average of $26,124 before housing to $8,500 after housing.
Click here for the full report.
Click here to read an editorial about these latest findings from the Boston Sunday Globe.
“I feel like I’m patching my patients up just to send them back to such an unhealthy environment. Having a home to recuperate in, store medications and feel secure would make all the difference.”
Dr. Jessie Gaeta, MHSA Physician Advocate
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