MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES COVERED BY MEDICAID BUY-IN AGREEMENTS

About 13 percent of Medicare beneficiaries receive some assistance fro m Medicaid. States ''buy in'' Medicare coverage for these low-income b eneficiaries. For those eligible, states also provide benefits beyond those covered by Medicare. Buy-in beneficiaries are different from oth er Medicare beneficiaries in many ways. They have lower incomes, which is consistent with the policy intent. They use more health services i n general but do not appear to receive timely, appropriate care relati ve to several disease-specific standards. As policymakers consider res tructuring Medicare and Medicaid, careful attention needs to be paid t o the effects of changes on these beneficiaries.