Snap Fact #144

3.  Better coordination for Medicare and Medicaid

The Affordable Health Care Act created a new Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office (MMCO), which will help improve coordination of benefits for the 9 million individuals who are enrolled in both programs. The MMCO is also developing projects that will combine both Medicare and Medicaid into one unified health benefit with additional requirements for care coordination and assistance for consumers..

COMING SOON:

4.  Health Care Homes

Older adults and persons with disabilities often have complex health care needs which involve a number of different medical providers and settings. The Affordable Health Care Act promotes a new team-based model where a central care management team will coordinate between these diverse providers and assist individuals in managing their own care. This model of care will be patient centered and has the potential to increase quality while reducing costs. 

5.  Protecting the future of Medicare

Some critics have suggested that the Affordable Health Care Act "cuts Medicare." This is false. The Act actually protects the future of Medicare by reducing wasteful spending. For example, the Affordable Health Care Act will save $500 billion by reducing Medicare fraud and abuse and reducing overpayments Medicare has made to private managed care plans. These cuts are not targeted at the benefits enrollees depend on. The next time you hear someone say that the Affordable Health Care Act cuts Medicare by $500 billion, you will know that in reality the Act saves Medicare money to ensure the program maintains all of its benefits.