Today, Arnold Ventures along with 20 partners sent a letter to the Chairs of the Senate Finance and House Energy and Commerce Committee urging them to pass the Advancing Integration in Medicare and Medicaid Act (AIM) (S.4264). This legislation would require every state to have a plan to integrate its Medicaid program with the Medicare program for the people that are simultaneously enrolled in both, the so-called dual-eligible population.
“This bill marks an important step forward in the effort to ensure that every dual-eligible individual has access to a coverage option that integrates their Medicare and Medicaid coverage,” said Arielle Mir, vice president of the Complex Care team. “Today, fewer than 50% of dual-eligible individuals even have access to a meaningfully integrated coverage option.”
Navigating two insurance programs is challenging enough, and many dual-eligible individuals must do it while managing multiple chronic and complex conditions.
Serious mental health conditions are among the most common comorbidities for dual-eligible beneficiaries. Many people with serious mental health conditions experience poor health and unmet needs because they struggle to navigate getting care in today’s complex and uncoordinated systems.
Evidence shows that integrating the two programs can go a long way towards providing both a better experience for people who are dual-eligible, and reducing government spending. Few dual-eligible individuals rate themselves in excellent or very good health today, yet we spend more than $440 billion annually for their care, accounting for a disproportionate share of the Medicare and Medicaid programs’ budgets.
“We call on Congress to pass the AIM Act this year. We’ve allowed low-income older adults and people with disabilities to get lost in this bewildering maze of coverage for far too long, and they deserve better,” Mir said.
