6-25-12; Can the Feds get it together and streamline the process for Medicare recovery and future medical cost issues? Your chance at input!

Hardly a day goes by without someone having an issue with Medicare either in past payments or more likely in holding up a settlement while they move at calendar speed in determining that your proposed set-aside is not only not enough but you waited 6 months on a decision to find that their value is 350% higher. Help may be on the way—CMS has issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) for Medicare Set-Asides.

There have been several different detailed congressional committee meetings and hearings with regard to Medicare issues in the last year or so with a resulting report noting the inefficiencies in the current processes (ironically, the report which criticized the time periods and delays with CMS took many months to complete). 

KC&A has an opportunity to make your comments known in an effort to bring both anecdotal evidence to the committee as well as offering suggested solutions. As part of Shawn Biery’s role as a member in a national MSA organization, we have the opportunity to offer comment to be included in the formal process. They are seeking comments that involve personal knowledge gained in dealing with the MSA process to allow us to offer solutions which would have a true impact in the future. 

We have to have our submissions input no later than July 22, 2012 so please send your comments prior to July 15, 2012 to allow us to finalize a detailed comprehensive. Some examples of the issues we have addressed in the past include a statute of limitations on claims for repayment, some independent appeal panel or mechanism for MSA decisions rather then unilateral CMS letters advising of the need for six figure MSA accounts without true need, and a streamlined process for MSA approvals.

Please email Shawn Biery at sbiery@keefe-law.com with your MSA horror stories and any constructive suggestions to improve the process.