How Does My Coverage Change If I’m Dual Eligible?

Dual coverage sounds complicated, but you typically receive your benefits through each program. For Medicare benefits, Original Medicare Original Medicare is a fee-for-service health insurance program available to Americans aged 65 and older and some individuals with disabilities. Original Medicare is provided by the federal government and is made up of two parts: Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance). or Medicare Advantage Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) is health insurance for Americans aged 65 and older that blends Medicare benefits with private health insurance. This typically includes a bundle of Original Medicare (Parts A and B) and Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D). administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) or a Managed Care provider have oversight with Medicaid. For Medicaid benefits, a dual enrollee will enroll in their state’s Medicaid program. Medicare is the primary payer for most services, but Medicaid covers benefits not offered by Medicare.

Your Medicare coverage does not vary with dual enrollment, but Medicaid categories and programs vary based on income, and may impose restrictions. There are  several Medicare Savings Programs, including:

• Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program: supports the payment of Medicare Part A and Part B premiums.
• Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) program: supports the payment of Part B premiums for individuals with an income greater than 100 percent but less than 120 percent of the Federal Poverty Level
• Pharmacy: Medicare Part D covers premiums deductibles, and other prescription drugs for all Dual-eligible beneficiaries. ^[i]

For some dual eligible groups, Medicaid can cover some or all of the following:

• Medicare Part A premiums
• Medicare Part B premiums
• Co-insurance Coinsurance is the percentage of your medical costs that you pay after you meet your deductible. Your insurance company pays the remaining amount. For example: If you have a $1,000 medical bill and your coinsurance is 20%, you'll pay $200. Your insurance company will cover the final $800. under Part A or Part B
• Full Medicaid Coverage

When you become eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, you have a special enrollment period. The enrollment period begins with your eligibility and ends two months after losing Medicaid. Your coverage begins on the first day of the following month.

Dual-eligible beneficiaries can change plans once every calendar quarter for the first three quarters. The effective date of any change is always the first day of the next month.

January 1 – March 31

April 1 – June 30

July 1 – September 30

Fourth-quarter changes must be made during the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP), which runs between October 15 and December 15, and the change will take effect on January 1.