01/02/12

Beneficiaries who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid benefits – generally patients in nursing homes along with low-income elderly and disabled patients – account for a disproportionate but reducible amount of spending by the two programs, according to a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Right now, federal policymakers rely on the states to take the lead in controlling expenses that amount to about 40% of Medicare and Medicaid, but that’s not working well, the report said.

Instead, Medicare should take over management of these beneficiaries’ care. That program can then work to reduce hospital admissions for chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and pressure ulce

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