Nearly one-third of Medicare beneficiaries do not meet the criteria for Medicaid eligibility but have so little income that they are unlikely to be able to afford their share of their Medicare costs, such as co-pays and deductibles.

This is known as the “Medicaid coverage cliff,” and because they care for so many low-income seniors, the Medicaid coverage cliff poses a bigger threat to private safety-net hospitals, and to the patients they serve, than it does to the typical community hospital.

Becker’s Hospital Review, drawing from a recent study published in the journal Health Affairs, takes a brief look at what the Medicaid cliff is and how it may affect the well-being of those affected by this cliff.  Learn more in the Becker’s Hospital Review article “5 things to know about the Medicaid coverage ‘cliff’.”