YouthCare Provider Welcome Letter
Date: 01/28/20
Dear YouthCare Provider,
You are receiving this letter because you are in the YouthCare Provider Network. YouthCare includes medical, behavioral health, dental, vision and pharmacy coverage.
What is YouthCare? YouthCare is the HealthChoice Illinois Health Plan designed for current and former youth in the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) custody ages birth through 21.
What are Former Youth in Care? Former Youth in Care are youth who have been adopted, are living with kinship providers, have returned to biological parents, and/or youth who have left the DCFS system. All of these youth were in DCFS previously.
What are Youth in Care? Youth in Care are youth that are currently in the state of Illinois’ custody, living with foster parents, in group homes or in residential settings.
Why YouthCare? As this vulnerable population of youth rolls into the Illinois managed care system, the Department of Health and Family Services (HFS) chose to design a specialized approach to serving these youth. As a result, a specialized Health Plan was designed, in partnership with Centene (also known as IlliniCare Health) and the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). This health plan has specialized staffing, services and an approach designed to improve the overall health, well-being and permanency of these youth.
Why You? You are an important health care provider for this population, and whether your practice has focused primarily on this population in the past, or you are expanding to help serve these youth, access to care is essential.
Important Information:
- Youth Care goes live February 1, 2020.
- Phase 1:
- Approximately 19k Former Youth in Care across the state will be enrolled in YouthCare with a coverage effective date of February 1, 2020.
- Phase 2:
- Approximately 16k Youth in Care across the state will be enrolled in YouthCare with a coverage effective date of April 1, 2020.
- UPDATE: The April 1 launch of YouthCare for youth currently in DCFS custody has been delayed by at least 30 days as state agencies focus on challenges associated with COVID-19.
- Phase 1:
- At this time, all youth will show up as having IlliniCare Health coverage in MEDI.
- YouthCare members will have a YouthCare ID Card.
- You will bill YouthCare for any services provided to YouthCare members.
- Centene Corporation, IlliniCare Health’s parent company, is the entity delivering YouthCare.
- Centene sold the IlliniCare Health Medicaid business, excluding YouthCare, to CVS Health on January 23, 2020.
- Centene acquired WellCare nationally.
- In Illinois, Centene owns the WellCare subsidiary, Meridian.
- Centene will retain the Meridian WellCare brand.
- YouthCare will remain YouthCare – a program with a separate network, care coordinators and programs.
- YouthCare will continue to operate as part of Centene’s Illinois subsidiary.
If you have any questions about your participation with YouthCare, please contact our Rapid Response Team at 844-289-2264 or you can email us at ILYouthCare@centene.com.
Tracy R. Eilers Johnson
Director, Provider Network
YouthCare