The Faces of Medicaid III: Refining the Portrait of People with Multiple Chronic Conditions

October 14, 2009 In Medicaid, the elderly and adults with disabilities make up 25 percent of beneficiaries, but account for a majority of program spending. Within this population, fewer than five percent of beneficiaries account for more than fifty percent of overall Medicaid costs. Most of these high-cost beneficiaries receive care within an unmanaged fee-for-service delivery system, and the majority of them would benefit greatly from more integrated systems of care. By better understanding the specific health conditions of these beneficiaries, writes Richard G. Kronick, PhD, University of California San Diego; Melanie Bella, Center for Health Care . . .