State Makes Changes To Managed Care Program For Elderly, Disabled

California, in a departure from previous policy, will not automatically enroll low-income elderly and disabled residents in managed care health plans during the next round of a three-year pilot project, state officials announced Thursday.

The state made the change in response to widespread concern that people were being enrolled in plans without their knowledge and without a clear understanding of what managed care meant for them. Future enrollment will be voluntary, officials said.

The project, known as the Coordinated Care Initiative, aims to improve the care of people who are beneficiaries of both Medicare, the program for elderly and disabled residents, and Medi-Cal, which serves low-income Californians. The 1.1 million “dual eligibles” are among the sickest and costliest patients in the state. Read article here…..

Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit national health policy news service that is part of the nonpartisan Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

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