No more Part D copayments for dual eligibles receiving home and community based services

Beginning this year, people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligibles) who are receiving Medicaid home and community based services (HCBS) no longer have to pay co-payments for Medicare Part D prescription drugs. This change went into effect January 1, 2012 and is a provision of the Affordable Care Act. However, according to the National Senior Citizens Law Center, advocates should be alert to potential issues. Each state is responsible for submitting the change to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and there may be a lag in the process depending on when the state submitted its change. Further, because implementation requires modifications to state reporting, it is possible that problems will emerge if a state's data systems have not been appropriately adjusted to conform to the new reporting requirements.

For more information: No Part D Copayments for Dual Eligibles Receiving Medicaid HCBS Services (PDF file)

To view and print PDF documents, you need to have Adobe® Reader®, a free software program, installed on your computer. Download Adobe® Reader®

Keywords: