Research Report The Effect on States of Increasing the Medicare Eligibility Age
Timothy A. Waidmann, Emily Lawton
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Proposals to raise the eligibility age for Medicare may have unintended consequences for state government finances. The medical care of persons who currently receive both Medicaid and Medicare benefits, also known as “dual eligibles,” could become the sole responsibility of Medicaid. In this brief we estimate the number of such individuals in each state and the amount of current Medicare spending that could be shifted to state Medicaid programs. The actual cost impact of such a policy change for an individual state depends on both the demographic makeup of its population and its decision about Medicaid expansion under the ACA.
Research Areas Health and health care Taxes and budgets
Tags Federal health care reform Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program  Medicare
Policy Centers Health Policy Center