On May 26, the Kaiser Family Foundation released a brief examining Medicaid's role in covering dual eligibles.  Noting that nearly 9 million individuals are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, the brief explains why this population needs Medicaid coverage and what services they receive under it.  The authors also project the impact of the national health care reform law on dual eligibles.

From the report:

Nearly 9 million Medicaid beneficiaries are “dual eligibles”- low-income seniors and younger persons with disabilities who are enrolled in both the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Dual eligibles are among the sickest and poorest individuals covered by either the Medicaid or Medicare programs. They must navigate both Medicare and Medicaid to access services, and rely on Medicaid to pay Medicare premiums and cost-sharing and to cover critical benefits Medicare does not cover, such as long-term care. Because dual eligibles have significant medical needs and a much higher per capita cost than other beneficiaries, they are of great interest to both Medicare and Medicaid policymakers and to the state and federal governments that fund and manage the programs.

Full report: Dual Eligibles: Medicaid's Role for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries (PDF | 200.68 kb)

Kaiser Family Foundation.  (2011).  Dual eligibles: Medicaid's role for low-income Medicare beneficiaries.