Restrictiveness of eligibility determination and Medicaid enrollment by low-income seniors.
Medicaid is an important source of supplemental health care coverage for low-income seniors, yet little is known about the effect of state policy on Medicaid enrollment by eligible elderly. Data from a nationally representative survey were used to examine Medicaid enrollment by elderly, low-income Medicare beneficiaries living in states that liberalize or restrict Medicaid eligibility criteria using the 1986 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act or provision 209(b) of the 1972 Social Security Act Amendment, respectively. Controlling for demographics and health status, residence in states applying these laws was significantly, though modestly, associated with Medicaid enrollment. Additionally, 73% of eligible elderly Medicare beneficiaries were not enrolled in Medicaid, and most have serious chronic health problems. These findings suggest that a significant number of eligible elderly are not enrolled in Medicaid and that liberalizing or tightening Medicaid eligibility criteria can have an impact on Medicaid enrollment by low-income elderly patients.
Ungaro
Ryan
R
Division of General Internal Medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York 10029, USA.
Federman
Alex D
AD
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004608:Eligibility Determination / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006278:Medicare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011203:Poverty; D014481:United States