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ARMED
FORCES NEWS |
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| Penalty-Free Part B for Certain Medicare Beneficiaries The Defense Department has announced that Medicare-eligible military beneficiaries who are not enrolled in Medicare Part B will be enrolled automatically by the Social Security Administration during Sept. 2004 with no late enrollment surcharge. Such enrollments (which beneficiaries may decline) will make them eligible for Tricare or Tricare for Life health benefits, depending upon their status. Also, beneficiaries who enrolled in Part B since 2001 and are paying more than $66.60 per month will receive a refund for the premium surcharges paid since January 2004. Those who have paid premium surcharges during 2004 will have them refunded automatically as well. Beneficiaries who do not receive a notice by Nov. 1 should contact their local Social Security Office. If they have questions about enrolling in Medicare Part B, they may call SSA toll free, at (800) 772-1213 or visit any Social Security office. Part B Enrollment Jolts Some Beneficiaries While Medicare-eligible military retirees and spouses aged 65 and over who did not enroll in Medicare Part B automatically will be enrolled this month without a penalty (previous item), some 16,000 under age 65 may be in for a surprise. Due to government failures in data cross-matching and lack of understanding by members of this group, they may have been using Tricare without being enrolled in Medicare Part B. These beneficiaries, who draw Social Security Disability Insurance payments, are being informed that the law requires them to be enrolled in Part B in order to participate in Tricare, and that they are being enrolled automatically. The Defense Department and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services discovered the error last April, but, due to urging from several veterans' organizations, opted to let the beneficiaries retain their Tricare eligibility at that time without requiring any paybacks. |
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