Objective: Highly active antiretroviral therapy has increased survival time among persons with AIDS, enabling more individuals to qualify for Medicare. Using AIDS surveillance data matched to Medicaid records, we examined the number of the Maryland residents who were dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare over time. Methods: Maryland AIDS cases living during FY1996-FY1998 were matched to Medicaid eligibility files for the same years. The matching algorithm used combinations of the last four digits of the Social Security number, date of birth, race, gender, and the first three characters of the first and last names. Matches were first performed based on complete information and then by several matches in which one or two fields were excluded. Matches were validated using full names. Results: Although the number of AIDS cases living during the three years increased (8092, 8406, and 8897), the number eligible for Medicaid remained unchanged: 4162, 4133, and 4153. The number of AIDS cases dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare increased substantially over the three years: 552, 842, and 1,002, respectively. As a percent of Medicaid AIDS cases, those also in Medicare almost doubled from 13.3% in FY1996 to 24.1% in FY1998. Conclusions: This study demonstrates an increasing proportion of Medicaid clients with Medicare. Medicare has become increasingly important as a provider of health services for people living with AIDS. It will be important to monitor coverage as changes in financial status can put individuals at risk for loss of Medicaid and, consequently, loss of pharmacy coverage.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Medicare/Medicaid
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.