KFF January 31, 2023
The 12.5 million people who are jointly enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid, Medicare-Medicaid enrollees (also referred to as dually-eligible beneficiaries or dual eligibles), receive their primary health insurance coverage through Medicare and some assistance from their state Medicaid program. Medicare is a federal program financed primarily by general revenues, payroll tax contributions, and premiums. Medicaid is the nation’s largest public health insurance program for low-income Americans and the primary payer for long-term services and supports. People enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid comprise 17% of Medicare beneficiaries in traditional Medicare and 14% of Medicaid enrollees, but much higher shares of spending (33% of traditional Medicare spending and 32% of Medicaid spending).
While virtually all Medicare-Medicaid enrollees have low incomes and...