Washington state tries Medicare-Medicaid coordination

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington state’s Medicaid program that gives free health insurance to the poor is working with the federal government on an experiment that is expected to save taxpayer dollars and improve services.

The new program would combine Medicaid with Medicare, which is the federal health insurance for older Americans.

The program could affect some recipients of private disability insurance or long-term care insurance (LTCI) benefits who qualify for Medicare, either because they are older than 65 or are severely disabled, and who also qualify for Medicaid, because they meet state income and asset eligibility guidelines.

State officials say their “dual eligibles” program will help Medicare and Medicaid avoid duplicating services.