Excluded from universal coverage: ESRD patients not covered by Medicare

Medicaid is believed to serve as the major insurer for end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients who are ineligible for Medicare coverage. Demographics, receipt of dialysis services, and costs of Medicaid-only populations were compared with Medicare ESRD populations in California, Georgia, and Michigan. Notable differences in patient demographics, dialysis practice patterns, and inpatient health resource utilization between the Medicaid and Medicare ESRD populations were observed. Medicaid expenditures for Medicare-ineligible ESRD patients were considerable: in 1991, California spent $46.4 million for 1,239 ESRD patients; Georgia and Michigan each spent nearly $5 million for approximately 140 ESRD patients.