Healthy Opportunities Pilots at Work

Service Interruptions

Due to Hurricane Helene, many Healthy Opportunities Pilots (HOP) services in western NC (Impact Health) were temporarily down. HOP enrollment has resumed, and services have been restored at limited capacity, but there may be a delay in service delivery due to ongoing recovery efforts. If you need immediate help, please call NC 211.

The Healthy Opportunities Pilots have had a marked impact on the lives and wellbeing of North Carolinians. NC DHHS has compiled key metrics, media stories and member stories which reflect the impact HOP has on individuals and their communities.

Key Metrics

Number of HOP Enrollees*	32,831
Number of Enrollees Served	25,284
Percent of Service Authorizations Approved	79%
Number of Services Delivered	617,022
Number of Invoices Submitted	637,497
Percent of Invoices Accepted, Paid, or In Progress	96%
Amount Paid for Service Delivery	$119,754,638

*Data through Sept. 30, 2024.
Key Metrics includes Standard Plan (SP), Tailored Plan (TP) and Prepaid Inpatient Health Plan (PIHP) populations.
Number of HOP Enrollees includes all members enrolled in HOP, beginning March 15, 2022.

Healthy Opportunities Pilots in the News

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Success Stories

Read more about the positive impact of Healthy Opportunities Pilots on the lives of North Carolinians in the following success stories.

Restoring A Family’s Feeling of Safety

A family experiencing homelessness due to interpersonal violence-related challenges was living in a shelter. A HOP organization, with the shelter's assistance, was able to help the family find safe, affordable housing. The coordination of supports, including HOP services, was used to assist the guardian with securing a job and childcare within two weeks of living in the shelter.

Shortly after being housed, the family was given a donated car with new tires and full insurance coverage paid up for 6 months by a local church. The HOP organization was also able to find an individual willing to teach the member basic self-defense at no charge. Currently, the family is happily housed, employed, and no longer has a fear of feeling unsafe.

HOP Helps Keep the Lights On

A mother participating in HOP owed payment on her utility bill, which led to her family’s electricity being shut off. A HOP organization and the mother’s Care Management team worked together to explore all resources - both HOP and health plan-related - to ensure the mother and her children were set up with a housing stability and utility payment plan.

The family’s electricity was restored after being cut off for approximately 34 days. The HOP “essential utility” service and a payment plan with the utility company now have the family in a stable place. The HOP team continues to monitor and support her as she navigates her current housing situation and her new employment.

Utility Assistance for a Grandmother

Following the death of his father, a child enrolled in Medicaid was placed under the guardianship of his grandmother, who moved into her recently deceased son’s home to care for her grandson. Soon after moving into the home, she learned there was an outstanding utility bill of $1,000.

The grandmother found herself two months behind on payment and at risk of having the utilities cutoff. A care manager referred the child’s grandmother for utility assistance through the Healthy Opportunities Pilots, which was approved for $500, the full amount allowed. This assistance cut the total bill in half and drastically reduced the financial burden and stress on the child and his grandmother.

Keeping the Family Together

A single mother had been staying at a local shelter with her children but needed life-saving surgery. Her children couldn’t remain in the shelter without her, which left her in an impossible position. Mom had secured an emergency housing voucher, but it wasn’t enough to cover rent in the county where she would be receiving treatment.

Through the Healthy Opportunities Pilots, her care managers were able to help her transfer her housing voucher and secure income-based housing near the hospital. They also helped her access financial support for her security deposit and utility setup fees – all services that are covered for the Healthy Opportunities Pilots participants.

Now, mom is able to focus on her health, schedule needed medical care, and keep her family together under one roof with help from her friends and the Healthy Opportunities Pilots.

Healthy Food Boxes ‘Total Gamechanger’ for Family

An enrollee reported that after just a few weeks the Healthy Opportunities Pilots have had a tremendous impact on everyone in her home. She expressed appreciation for access to fresh and nutritious food, which had previously been challenging to obtain. The enrollee and her family faced physical and financial barriers to accessing the food necessary for her dietary requirements and often relied on less nutrient-dense options.

With access to better foods, the family is now eating well and meeting their nutritional needs. They all have more energy, cheerful moods and feel much better physically. The enrollee even reported that her “husband is excited about coming home for supper these days! He is so happy about the variety and colorful options” and they “have all come together more as a family to eat again.”

The enrollee stated that this is a “small joy in [my] heart, that as a mother, [I don’t] have to worry about how [I’m] going feed my family. No one should ever have that burden on their heart.”