Government
Medicare wants back millions in accidental Part D payments
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Sept. 11, 2006
The federal government erroneously sent nearly $50 million to Medicare Part D beneficiaries and will require the money back.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services revealed that it had sent incorrect payments to more than 200,000 beneficiaries along with a letter informing them that the Social Security Administration would stop deducting Medicare drug premiums from their Social Security checks. CMS sent a follow-up letter apologizing for the error and asking affected seniors to set the inadvertent payments aside.
At press time, the agency had not announced how it would recoup the overpayments, which averaged about $200 each. Patient advocates and at least one lawmaker called on CMS to take back the money in small increments over time to avoid punishing seniors who had already spent it.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/09/11/gvbf0911.htm.