Sixty-eight million people are enrolled in Medicare—one in 5 depend on Medicaid to afford and entry important well being and long-term care. With out Medicaid, 12 million Medicare enrollees couldn’t entry the care they want, jeopardizing their well being and well-being. Given that just about 30% of all Medicaid {dollars} immediately help Medicare enrollees, any proposed cuts to Medicaid are in impact, cuts to Medicare.
Medicaid Makes Medicare Reasonably priced
Medicare is dear, with excessive premiums and out-of-pocket bills that many seniors and other people with disabilities couldn’t afford with out Medicaid.
- Medicaid supplies Medicare premium help. Medicaid covers premiums for 1 in 6 Medicare enrollees. This aid from the $185 Medicare Half B month-to-month premium helps over 10 million seniors and other people with disabilities by rising their earnings by 10-20%.
- Medicaid covers out-of-pocket prices. Medicaid covers Medicare’s co-insurance, co-pays, and deductibles, guaranteeing that 8 million Medicare enrollees residing on incomes close to or under the poverty line can entry wanted care and have cash for different primary wants.
Medicaid opened the door to Medicare for Carrie
Medicaid’s protection of Medicare premiums and out-of-pocket prices was life altering for Carrie, an 81-year-old residing in Mansfield, Ohio. Carrie had delayed enrolling in Medicare Half B as a result of she was working, and later hesitated to enroll as a result of she feared having to pay late enrollment penalties. She was going with out wanted medical care and was hardly capable of pay for her prescribed drugs. After her Space Company on Getting older helped her enroll in Medicaid and monetary help together with her prescription drug prices, Carrie was capable of afford to enroll in Medicare. Because of Medicaid, she may lastly see her physician, fill her prescriptions, and have the funds for for staple items like her utilities and groceries.
Medicaid Fills Crucial Gaps in Medicare Protection
Many individuals assume Medicare supplies complete well being and long-term care protection. Nevertheless, Medicare has large gaps in protection. Medicaid performs a significant function in filling these gaps, enabling Medicare enrollees to remain wholesome and stay of their communities.
- Medicaid allows Medicare enrollees to age in place. Medicaid is the first payer of home-based care, masking a big selection of private care and different help by means of Medicaid house and community-based companies (HCBS).
- Medicaid is the first payer of nursing facility take care of Medicare enrollees. Whereas Medicare covers short-term expert nursing facility stays following a hospitalization, Medicaid covers nearly all of long-term stays. Greater than 6 in 10 nursing facility residents depend on Medicaid, together with these with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
- Medicaid covers important care not coated by Medicare. Medicaid additionally covers crucial companies that Medicare doesn’t, comparable to transportation to medical appointments, medical tools like mobilized wheelchairs, dental, imaginative and prescient, and listening to advantages, and a few therapy choices for substance use dysfunction.
Medicaid Strengthens Medicare for all Enrollees
Medicaid makes Medicare a extra accessible and stronger program. If Medicaid is lower, Medicare would incur extra prices, and all Medicare enrollees may lose entry to well being care suppliers.
- Medicaid saves Medicare {dollars}. By filling in gaps in protection and affordability, Medicaid prevents hospitalizations and poor well being outcomes for Medicare enrollees. Medicaid additionally helps these earlier than Medicare age receive the care they want, stopping worse well being outcomes and better prices once they enter Medicare.
- Medicaid helps entry to care for everybody with Medicare. Medicaid supplies crucial funding to hospitals and different suppliers, notably in rural areas, guaranteeing that each one Medicare enrollees have entry to crucial care.
Backside line: A Reduce to Medicaid is a Reduce to Medicare
Chopping Medicaid threatens the well being of hundreds of thousands and undermines the Medicare program. It’s important to safeguard and strengthen Medicaid to make sure all Medicare enrollees can proceed to entry the important care and help they want.
