Rethinking Medicaid's Financing Role for Medicare Enrollees

Publication Date: February 2009

Publisher: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

Author(s): Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

Research Area: Health

Keywords: medicaid; medicare,; spending

Type: Brief

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

This issue brief examines coverage of the nearly 9 million "dual eligible" beneficiaries, the low-income elderly and persons with disabilities who are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. It explores the national and state impacts of shifting the financing of selected services for dual eligibles from Medicaid to Medicare, including having the federal government pick up the full cost of Medicare premiums, cost-sharing and gaps in Medicare-covered services and long-term care services for this population.