A Primer on Dually Eligible Beneficiaries
The nine million dually eligible beneficiaries are generally poorer and sicker than other Medicare beneficiaries, tend to use more health care services, and thus account for a disproportionate share of Medicare and Medicaid spending. Because they often have complex medical and long-term care needs, and must navigate both Medicaid and Medicare benefits and financing, they present a special challenge for those seeking a more efficient and coordinated care delivery system.
The panel will address such basic questions as: Who is dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid? What are the characteristics and needs of this population? How do Medicaid and Medicare coordinate payment and care for this population? What federal and state barriers complicate these efforts? What is being done to address these challenges? What provisions in health reform address improving the coordination and delivery of services for dual eligibles?
Speakers for this session:
The panel is co-moderated by Kevin Arts of the Alliance for Health Reform and Barbara Lyons of the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU).
Speakers include:
- Melanie Bella, director of the new Federal Coordinated Health Care Office (“Office of Duals”) at CMS
- Scott Leitz, Minnesota Department of Human Services
1st Q&A
- Shawn Bloom, National PACE Association
- Jack Meyer, Health Management Associates
2nd Q&A
Related Documents:
Dual Eligibles: Medicaid’s Role for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries
Dual Eligibles: Medicaid Enrollment and Spending for Medicare Beneficiaries in 2007
Medicaid’s Role for Dual Eligibles: Short Profiles
The Role of Medicare For The People Dually Eligible For Medicare And Medicaid
