State Payment Limitations on Medicare Cost-Sharing: Impact on Dually Eligible Beneficiaries

The Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 allowed states to limit how much their Medicaid programs contributed toward the Medicare cost-sharing liability of dually eligible beneficiaries. Policymakers have grown concerned that such limitations may affect access to care for these beneficiaries. We used a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Janet B. Mitchell, Susan G. Haber
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2004-11-01
Series:Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.5034/inquiryjrnl_41.4.391
Description
Summary:The Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 allowed states to limit how much their Medicaid programs contributed toward the Medicare cost-sharing liability of dually eligible beneficiaries. Policymakers have grown concerned that such limitations may affect access to care for these beneficiaries. We used a quasi-experimental design to analyze changes in access from 1996 to 1998, using Medicare and Medicaid data from nine states. Cost-sharing payments fell in six of the nine states following the BBA, and access to outpatient physician visits for dually eligible beneficiaries was reduced relative to non-dually eligible beneficiaries in those states.
ISSN:0046-9580