Dual Eligibles:  Medicaid’s Role for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries

Dual Eligibles: Medicaid’s Role for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries

This fact sheet and set of tables describe the over 7 million “dual eligibles,” the low-income elderly and persons with disabilities who are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. The fact sheet describes why this population needs Medicaid, what services they receive from Medicaid, and the current policy challenges related to dual eligibles, including the new Medicare prescription drug benefit. The set of tables, prepared by the Urban Institute for the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, presents the most current state-by-state data on Medicaid enrollment and expenditures for dual eligibles.

Fact Sheet (.pdf)