Health Plans in California's Duals Demonstration Have Little Involvement in LTSS, According to Beneficiaries

In a 2016 survey of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries participating in Cal MediConnect, the California duals demonstration, only a minority reported that health plans had asked them about their LTSS, a surprising finding given that integration of LTSS and healthcare is a major goal of the duals demonstrations.   More troubling was the fact that only 8 percent reported that any change that had been made to their LTSS as a result of their contact with the plan, confirming earlier findings from focus groups.  This research was conducted as part of an evaluation of Cal MediConnect, California's demonstration project to integrate care for people covered under both Medicare and Medicaid.  The evaluation is being conducted by the Community Living Policy Center at UCSF and the Health Research for Action Center at UC Berkeley, and is funded by The SCAN Foundation and NIDILRR.