Official Hopes States Will Extend Dual Eligible Demos

The head of the Medicare agency’s office on benefit integration said Oct. 20 that it’s too early to know whether the 13 states in the CMS demonstration program for dual eligibles will continue their participation beyond initial completion dates.

Tim Engelhardt, director of the federal coordinated health care office at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said he’s optimistic that the states will be willing to continue for an extra two years. He spoke at a conference sponsored by America’s Health Insurance Plans.

In July, Engelhardt asked the participants to extend the scheduled end dates for their three-year demonstrations. ...