Tina Smith: “Senator Feingold and I have designed this amendment to help frail Medicare beneficiaries with special health care needs.…”

“Senator Feingold and I have designed this amendment to help frail Medicare beneficiaries with special health care needs. This is truly one of those times when doing the compassionate thing is in harmony with what is cost-effective. It is a fact that chronic illness is the highest cost, the fastest growing segment of health care. Seniors are disproportionately affected by multiple chronic conditions that require a wide array of services. More than half of all seniors have two or more chronic conditions. Further, one in five Medicare beneficiaries has five or more chronic health conditions. These seniors account for two thirds of total Medicare expenditures. They also see, on average, 14 different physicians annually and fill an average of 50 prescriptions per year. These seniors require routine monitoring, treatment and coordination of care among multiple providers to prevent or delay a decline in their health. And yet traditional Medicare does not include a care coordination benefit. However, a limited group of Medicare+Choice plans do. "Specialized Medicare + Choice plans" focus on frail and chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries with special needs--such as nursing home residents, nursing home certifiable beneficiaries who live in the community, and low income seniors who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. These plans provide important services absent from original Medicare such as care coordination, disease management and supportive services.”