Voluntary enrollment began on schedule for Texas’s Dual Eligible Integrated Care Project. As of March 1, beneficiaries in Texas’ STAR+PLUS program who receive Medicare Parts A, B, and D and full Medicaid services can opt in to the new managed care program, which aims to eliminate Medicare-Medicaid cost-shifting while improving the health and independence of the state’s most vulnerable population.

Texas was the 12th state to receive approval from CMS to develop a coordinated care program for dual-eligibles and will be using the CMS-designed capitated funding model. Six counties are participating in the Texas initiative, which aims to enroll a total of 165,274 duals in fully-integrated managed care plans operated by United, Centene, Molina, Cigna and Anthem. Once in the program, enrollees will have virtually all of their healthcare needs, including prescription drug coverage and behavioral health services, managed by a personalized care coordination team, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

Passive enrollment is scheduled to begin April 1 and run through October. Members will be enrolled according to their ZIP code and can choose to opt out of the program at any time.

For more information on the initiative, visit the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
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