Reports Analyze Cost and Coverage of People Eligible for Both Medicaid and Medicare and Options for Reforming Financing of Their Care

These issue briefs examine coverage of the nearly 9 million “dual eligibles,” the low-income elderly and persons with disabilities who are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid.

The reports explore the national and state impacts of shifting the financing of selected services for dual eligibles from Medicaid to Medicare, and provide state-level Medicaid spending and enrollment data related to this population. The policy options studied could collectively provide tens of billions of dollars in annual fiscal relief to states.

Most dual eligibles have substantial health needs, including some who are in nursing homes. Although they comprise only 18 percent of people on Medicaid, dual eligibles account for nearly half of the program’s spending on medical services and more than a quarter of all Medicare expenditures.

Rethinking Medicaid’s Financing Role for Medicare Enrollees

Dual Eligibles: Medicaid Enrollment and Spending for Medicare Beneficiaries