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ARMED FORCES NEWS |
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| The Medicare prescription drug act authorizes 90,000 Medicare-eligible military retirees to enroll in Part B at any time during calendar year 2004 without a late enrollment penalty, thus becoming eligible for Tricare for Life. However, the only action taken by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as of Feb. 9 was to issue a policy document. Thus, Social Security offices are still not enrolling eligible retirees or waiving late-enrollment penalties for qualified members already enrolled. Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan, Jr., president of the Military Officers Association of America, has written the Secretary for Health and Human Services about the problem, stating that "each month that goes by is a lost opportunity for outreach and delivery of Part B services that Congress has authorized." He added that the "urgent matter is critically important to thousands of military retirees across the country and overseas." |
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