July 27, 2009

Encouraging Integrated Care for Dual Eligibles

Medicaid and Medicare offer services to two different sets of populations but the chronically ill people are eligible for both. Because of this, dual eligible beneficiaries must use two sets of providers, benefits, and enrollment cards since Medicaid and Medicare each have a set of policies procedures. If these two public health insurance programs were to integrate, dual eligible beneficiaries can ensure that people are getting correct and thorough care. Advantages of integrating the systems include a seamless set of benefits, higher quality care, reduced fragmentation for states, and more control of costs for caring for this population.