The study is a retrospective analysis of the more than 1.2 million veterans simultaneously enrolled in MA and VA from 2004 to 2009.
During those years, the number of persons dually eligible for Medicare and VA benefits nearly doubled, increasing from almost 486,000 to nearly 925,000. In 2009, 8.3 percent of the Medicare Advantage population was enrolled in the VA and 5 percent of MA beneficiaries were VA users, according to the report.
The estimated VA healthcare costs for MA enrollees totaled $13 billion over 6 years, and increased from $1.3 billion in 2004 to $3.2 billion in 2009.
The report found that 50 percent of veterans eligible used both the VA and MA plans. Also, in 2009 the VA billed private insurers $52 million to reimburse care provided to MA enrollees, and collected $9.4 million.
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