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...
Main Authors: | , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2004-11-01
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Series: | Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5034/inquiryjrnl_41.4.391 |
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. |
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ISSN: | 0046-9580 |