Best Bets for Reducing Medicare Costs for Dual Eligible Beneficiaries: Assessing the Evidence

This study reviews prior pilot projects and demonstrations for dual eligibles—those receiving both Medicare and Medicaid benefits—and finds support for modest Medicare savings through well-targeted interventions. The study cites a small number of fully integrated, capitated managed care programs and fee-for-service based interventions for dual eligible beneficiaries that succeeded in reducing hospitalizations, although few of these programs were able to demonstrate net savings for Medicare.