State dual eligible proposals don't focus on managed care for Medicare beneficiaries

CQ HealthBeat: State Dual Eligible Proposals Don't Lock In Managed Care For Medicare Beneficiaries
States proposing demonstration projects to more effectively care for dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid enrollees have not suggested requiring Medicare patients to enroll in managed care plans, Cindy Mann, the federal official in charge of Medicaid, told state directors on Wednesday. Mann, director of the Center for Medicaid, CHIP and Certification, said that while each state plan is different, "there's no lock-in to managed care on the Medicare side for beneficiaries in the new approaches so far." She did say, however, that some plans would enroll dual eligibles in managed care, but give them the opportunity to opt out. Mann spoke at the National Association of Medicaid Directors (Bristol, 11/9).