Data Evaluation and Methods Research Paper #1: New Administrative Data Source for Identifying Medicare‐Medicaid Enrollees in the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey
Medicare‐Medicaid enrollees, sometimes referred to as “dual eligibles,” are a uniquely vulnerable population and the subject of much research interest. These beneficiaries are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, due to a qualifying disability or age combined with a lack of financial assets. Medicare‐Medicaid enrollees are high health care utilizers, with costs to both Medicare and Medicaid combined totaling more than four times the per capita spending on other Medicare beneficiaries.
As a nationally‐representative survey of Medicare beneficiaries, the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) has the potential to be a rich source of data on Medicare‐Medicaid enrollees, providing information that is not available from administrative records alone. The MCBS team is in the process of reviewing data operations, and as part of this work, we are utilizing a new administrative source for determining Medicaid participation in order to be more consistent with guidelines suggested by the Federal Medicare‐Medicaid Coordination Office at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
This paper describes the impact this change will have on estimates of Medicare‐Medicaid enrollees in the MCBS. Click below for the full data brief.