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Vaya Health begins managing physical and behavioral Medicaid services; county officials seek enrollment details
Summary
Vaya Health representatives told Haywood County commissioners that, as of July 1, Vaya expanded from behavioral health services to manage physical health and pharmacy for plan members in western North Carolina; officials asked for county-level enrollment figures and clarification of member phone lines and non-emergency transportation.
Shelly Foreman, Vaya HealthCommunity Relations Regional Director, told the Haywood County Board on Sept. 3 that Vaya Health has expanded from an LME/MCO to a full managed-care plan responsible for members' physical and behavioral health and pharmacy services as of July 1.
Foreman described an expanded provider network that includes hospitals, federally qualified health centers and health departments, and emphasized measures to avoid disruption for members whose current doctors are not yet contracted: "If someone is seeing a primary care doctor... they can continue to see those doctors and services with no disruption in their health plan if we haven't yet contracted with them," she said. She also described new member-facing phone lines (pharmacy, nurse and member services), a 24/7 crisis line, and a non-emergency transportation contract with MotiveCare. Foreman said Vaya also offers incentives under a package called Vaya Total Care Perks, noting examples such as GED vouchers, home-delivered meals and wellness supports.
Commissioners asked for the number of Haywood County residents enrolled in the Vaya Total Care plan and whether the phone lines are restricted to plan members; Foreman said she would follow up with specific enrollment numbers and confirmed the crisis line is broadly available while other lines primarily serve plan members and are listed on member cards. The county requested further detail via email and was told the state DHHS dashboard can also show expansion by county; Foreman said she would follow up with the county manager with enrollment figures.
