Allentown Senior AdvisorWhat is the difference between LIFE and Community HealthChoices home care?
LIFE replaces all of a participant's Medicare and Medicaid care with one team based at a day center, while Community HealthChoices keeps the person's own doctors under Medicare and adds Medicaid home and community-based services coordinated by a managed care plan.
Both require the person to meet the nursing facility level of care. LIFE is open at 55; CHC at 21. In the Lehigh Valley, LIFE means SeniorLIFE Lehigh Valley in Bethlehem for Lehigh and Northampton residents; CHC is available in all three counties.
Who does LIFE suit best?
LIFE suits people who are comfortable switching doctors, who benefit from time at a day center with meals, therapy and social contact, and whose families want one organization responsible for everything, including transportation and any later nursing home stay.
Participants attend the Bethlehem center on a set schedule, with rides provided. The team includes a physician, nurses, therapists, social workers and aides.
Who does Community HealthChoices home care suit best?
CHC home care suits people who want to keep long-time doctors and specialists, prefer services at home rather than a day center, or live in Carbon County, where no LIFE provider operates.
CHC can pay for personal assistance, including participant-directed services in which some family members can be paid as caregivers, plus respite, meals and home modifications, depending on the service plan.
What do the two programs cost the participant?
For people who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medical Assistance, both programs usually cost nothing beyond any patient-pay amount set by Medical Assistance, and neither pays for a personal care home's room and board.
People who are not Medicaid-eligible can join LIFE by paying privately; CHC is a Medicaid program only. See the 2026 Medical Assistance limits.
How do I enroll in either program?
Call Pennsylvania's Independent Enrollment Broker at 1-877-550-4227 for either program, or call SeniorLIFE Lehigh Valley directly at (610) 954-5433 about LIFE; the county Area Agency on Aging does the level-of-care assessment for both.
Switching later is possible. Some families start with CHC services and move to LIFE when coordination becomes the bigger problem.
At a glance
| LIFE is | LIFE is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | One team for all care, built around a day center | An add-on to your current doctors |
| Availability | Lehigh and Northampton counties via Bethlehem | Available in Carbon County |
| Age | 55 and older at nursing facility level of care | Limited to Medicaid-eligible people |
Sources include 55 Pa. Code Chapters 20, 2600 and 2800, Pennsylvania DHS, Department of Health and Department of Aging pages, CMS, VA and CareScout rate tables as cited above; see our editorial standards.
