Services and supports for dually eligible individuals need to be coordinated effectively to improve care for this population, yet Medicare and Medicaid offer otherwise uncoordinated systems of care with different eligibility criteria, benefits, provider networks, and enrollment processes.

Following the creation of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office in 2010, state policymakers and their federal and health plan partners are increasingly seeking opportunities to improve integration for dually eligible beneficiaries. This brief, based on the experiences of 10 states with pioneering integrated care programs, describes key features of effective integrated care programs and presents top policy considerations driving state investment in these programs.