Many nursing home residents could be harmed by a so-called clawback provision in the Medicare Part D law, a consumer’s group maintains.
The proviso encourages states to cut their dual-eligible rolls, FamiliesUSA said in a July 6 report. About 70% of nursing home residents are dual eligibles. The term is used to describe people who receive assistance from the Medicaid and Medicare programs. Clawback payments are designed to force states to return drug coverage savings back to the federal government.
States have complained the clawback could raise costs at a time when they are already struggling financially. Florida, Mississippi and Missouri already have begun cutting Medicaid beneficiaries. North Carolina is considering cuts as well, according to the investigation.
The full report is available at http://www.familiesusa.org/site/DocServer/Trouble_Brewing.pdf?docID=9421.
