CMS Reinforces Rule Prohibiting Billing Dually Eligible Individuals Enrolled in Qualified Medicare Beneficiary Program

November 2017 ~

CMS has issued a notice to reinforce the rule that Medicare providers and suppliers should not bill beneficiaries enrolled in the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program for Medicare cost-sharing.

The reminder notice was issued following recent reports of incidents where people dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid are being billed for coinsurance costs by providers despite enrollment in the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) savings program.

CMS has issued the following memo (MLN Matters® Number: SE1128 Revised) to inform and remind providers of the tools created to verify QMB status for Medicare patients and help avoid erroneous billing.

Provider Types Affected

This article pertains to all Medicare physicians, providers and suppliers, including those serving beneficiaries enrolled in Original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan.

Provider Action Needed

This Special Edition MLN Matters® Article from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reminds all Medicare providers and suppliers that they may not bill beneficiaries enrolled in the QMB program for Medicare cost-sharing. Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the QMB program have no legal obligation to pay Medicare Part A or B deductibles, coinsurance, or copays for any Medicare-covered items and services.

Look for new information and messages in CMS’ HIPAA Eligibility Transaction System (HETS) (effective November 2017) and the Provider Remittance Advice (RA) (effective October 2, 2017), to identify patients’ QMB status and exemption from cost-sharing prior to billing. If you are an MA provider, contact the MA plan for more information about verifying the QMB status of plan members.

Implement key measures to ensure compliance with QMB billing requirements. Ensure that billing procedures and third-party vendors exempt individuals enrolled in the QMB program from Medicare charges. If you have erroneously billed an individual enrolled in the QMB program, recall the charges (including referrals to collection agencies) and refund the invalid charges he or she paid. For information about obtaining payment for Medicare cost-sharing, contact the Medicaid agency in the States in which you practice. Refer to the Background and Additional Information Sections below for further details and important steps to promote compliance.

Background

All Original Medicare and MA providers and suppliers–not only those that accept Medicaid–must refrain from charging individuals enrolled in the QMB program for Medicare cost-sharing. Providers who inappropriately bill individuals enrolled in QMB are subject to sanctions. Providers and suppliers may bill State Medicaid programs for these costs, but States can limit Medicare cost-sharing payments under certain circumstances.

Billing of QMBs is Prohibited by Federal Law

Federal law bars Medicare providers and suppliers from billing an individual enrolled in the QMB program for Medicare Part A and Part B cost-sharing under any circumstances (see Sections 1902(n)(3)(B), 1902(n)(3)(C), 1905(p)(3), 1866(a)(1)(A), and 1848(g)(3)(A) of the Social Security Act [the Act]). The QMB program is a State Medicaid benefit that assists low-income Medicare beneficiaries with Medicare Part A and Part B premiums and costsharing, including deductibles, coinsurance, and copays. In 2015, 7.2 million individuals (more than one out of 10 beneficiaries) were enrolled in the QMB program. See the chart at the end of this article for more information about the QMB benefit.

Providers and suppliers may bill State Medicaid agencies for Medicare cost-sharing amounts. However, as permitted by Federal law, States can limit Medicare cost-sharing payments, under certain circumstances. Regardless, persons enrolled in the QMB program have no legal liability to pay Medicare providers for Medicare Part A or Part B cost-sharing. Medicare providers who do not follow these billing prohibitions are violating their Medicare Provider Agreement and may be subject to sanctions (see Sections 1902(n)(3)(C), 1905(p)(3), 1866(a)(1)(A), and 1848(g)(3)(A) of the Act.)

Note that certain types of providers may seek reimbursement for unpaid Medicare deductible and coinsurance amounts as a Medicare bad debt discussed in Chapter 3 of the Provider Reimbursement Manual (Pub.15-1).

Refer to the Important Reminders Concerning QMB Billing Requirements Section below for key policy clarifications.

 

Source(s): Modern HealthcareMLN Matters (pdf);

 

 

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