Integrating care for beneficiaries who are dually enrolled in Medicaid and Medicare is an ongoing area of interest for the Commission. Combined, Medicaid and Medicare cover a broad range of health care services, but the division of coverage between the two programs can result in fragmented care. Integrated care is intended to better align delivery, payment, and administration of Medicaid and Medicare services, which may improve care for dually eligible beneficiaries, eliminate incentives for cost shifting, reduce spending that may arise from duplication of services or poor care coordination, and promote equity.
To better understand the experience of receiving coverage through integrated care arrangements, MACPAC contracted with NORC at the University of Chicago to conduct focus groups with full-benefit dually eligible beneficiaries enrolled in integrated care. In this session, staff shared the key themes that emerged from the beneficiary focus groups.