Project Grant RF1AG088640

This $2,283,522 Project Grant award from the National Institute on Aging (CFDA 93.866 - Aging Research) will support research to evaluate the impact of a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) policy on improving integrated care and health outcomes for Medicare-Medicaid dual eligible beneficiaries.

Specifically, the study will examine the effects of CMS' "80% rule" that stopped renewing contracts with Medicare Advantage plans where 80% or more of enrollees are dual eligibles. The research will assess how this policy impacts enrollment in Integrated Care Plans, which coordinate Medicare and Medicaid services, as well as the effects on quality of care, clinical outcomes, and utilization of low-value or potentially avoidable care among dual eligible beneficiaries. The project will focus on evaluating impacts for high-risk subpopulations including those with dementia, frailty, mental illness, and from historically marginalized groups. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health will serve as the prime grantee, collaborating with Brigham & Women's Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania as subrecipients to provide statistical and econometric expertise.