This week, the Medicare Rights Center joined with consumer and health care groups to participate in the Medicare-Medicaid Integration Alliance (MMIA). The MMIA will focus on improving how people with both Medicare and Medicaid navigate the programs, such as finding ways to reduce barriers that interfere with access to care and increase costs for enrollees, taxpayers, and the programs.

Over 12 million people have both Medicare and Medicaid. While this theoretically provides better affordability for these dually eligible individuals, it can also create a confusing web of benefits and bureaucracy. Paradoxically, attempts to provide better health care coverage can delay care due to the fragmentation and incompatibility between Medicare and Medicaid.

MMIA is determined to mitigate some of these issues. Calling upon research, experience, and interviews with people enrolled in both programs, the alliance will be driven by three cornerstone principles intended to better support these enrollees:

• Ensure people who are dually eligible have access to meaningfully integrated coverage and care;
• Make informed decision-making, enrollment, and coverage retention easier; and
• Guarantee that integrated coverage is held accountable for meeting people’s needs and goals.

For Medicare Rights, this work builds on our long history of support and advocacy for older adults and people with disabilities. Both Medicare and Medicaid are lifelines for millions. Making them work better together is an important goal we urge all policymakers to embrace and pursue.

Read more about the MMIA.

Read the MMIA press release.