Agreement reached
to resolve automatic Social Security check deductions for Medicare
Prescription Drug Benefit premiums
[Oct 02, 2006]—CMS
and Social Social Security Administration officials
CMS and
Social Security Administration officials have agreed on a plan
that will prevent Medicare beneficiaries from losing the entire
value of their Social Security checks to pay Medicare prescription
drug premiums, CQ HealthBeat reports.
CQ HealthBeat
reports.
Some
Medicare beneficiaries have their prescription drug premiums
deducted directly from their Social Security checks, but
federal computer systems do not allow premiums to be
deducted from the checks immediately after enrollment or
switching drug plans.
As a result, some
beneficiaries might not receive any Social Security payments in
subsequent months in order to make back payments.
Senate Special Committee on Aging Chair Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) on
Friday said he met with CMS Deputy Administrator Leslie Norwalk and
SSA Commissioner Joanne Barnhart, who drafted a plan to correct the
problem.
Smith said CMS
and SSA have agreed that seniors at risk of losing the entire value
of their checks will receive notification about the issue before it
occurs and will be given the option of paying the back premiums over
a longer duration.
Norwalk said one
step CMS will take to reduce the number of beneficiaries with back
payment issues will be to make direct payment from bank accounts the
first option on a form that beneficiaries fill out to choose a
payment arrangement.
A Smith aide said
that 80% of beneficiaries at risk of losing an entire month's Social
Security check owe premiums totaling less than $200. He said he
asked CMS how many beneficiaries are at risk of losing their entire
check, but the agency has not provided a number. Smith added that
recent
glitches in the payment system beneficiaries illustrated that
SSA needs a new computer system.
Smith said SSA's
scheduled $200 million cut for fiscal year 2007 should be reversed
to fund computer improvements (Reichard,
CQ HealthBeat,
9/29).