Medicare Stumbles Managing a Costly Problem — Chronic Illness

kffhealthnews.org

Medicare Stumbles Managing a Costly Problem — Chronic Illness

Nearly a decade ago, Medicare launched a program to help the two-thirds of beneficiaries with chronic conditions by paying their doctors an additional monthly fee to coordinate their care. The strategy has largely failed to live up to its potential; only about 4 percent of potentially eligible beneficiaries in the traditional Medicare program are enrolled, according to a Mathematica analysis. But thousands of physicians have boosted their pay by…