The Senate has set its eyes on regulating insurance plans for some of the most vulnerable patients in the U.S. — the 12.5 million people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.
“They’re a complex group of people with a lot of chronic conditions — mental illness, frailty, disability,” said Jose Figueroa, an internal medicine physician and health policy expert at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Over a third of these dual-eligible beneficiaries have less than a high school education, and about 90% make less than $20,000 per year.
advertisement
Just around 15% of beneficiaries are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, but they account for a third of these programs’ spending — around $440 billion — and still don’t receive better health care, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) pointed out in a JAMA viewpoint published earlier this month. “The root cause of worse outcomes despite spending more money is a lack of coordination of care,” Cassidy wrote.
Get unlimited access to award-winning journalism and exclusive events.
Subscribe Log In
Previous article：
STAT readers on older presidents, polypills, Medicare, and more
Next article： Activists slam private health insurers over coverage restrictions
Next article： Activists slam private health insurers over coverage restrictions
