The incidence of mental health disorders co-occurring with chronic somatic health conditions is gaining attention. This combination can pose significant burdens to health care system resources to provide for complex care needs. Using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Chronic Condition Data Warehouse, Hilltop explored the prevalence of co-occurring mental health disorders amongst Maryland’s new dual eligible enrollees during 2008 and their subsequent Medicare and Medicaid resource use. This report presents Hilltop’s findings, which establish the scope of the prevalence of mental health conditions among new dual eligible enrollees in Maryland and highlight the need for greater attention and research into this population.
This report, mandated by the Maryland legislature, was originally intended to be a cost analysis that would provide the basis for a financial subsidy to encourage the expansion of Medicare+Choice plans across Maryland. However, the study took a more comprehensive approach to describe the national and state context in which Medicare+Choice withdrawals were occurring and the impact of the withdrawals on consumers and health care programs.