Medicare managed care and frail elders: lessons from social HMOs

After 20 years of operations, the Social HMO demonstration of integrated acute and long-term care is scheduled to end on December 31, 2004. While a new disability adjustment to the Medicare payment system promises to provide the financial underpinning for continuing to serve the 113,000 beneficiaries now enrolled at four sites, a broader regulatory structure as an alternative to current waivers is also needed. The regulations could also accommodate other frail elderly programs, which serve nursing home residents and beneficiaries of both Medicare and Medicaid. The relevance of Social HMOs--the largest and most broadly targeted of frail elderly programs--is reviewed herein, particularly regarding marketing, selectivity, reimbursement, and special frail elderly benefits and geriatric services.