Congress passes SMART Act

Legislation passed by Congress will "help the Medicare process. It gives us a little more structure with regard to Medicare payments," said James Pocius, a shareholder with Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin in Philadelphia.

Pocius said H.R. 1845, the Strengthening Medicare and Repaying Taxpayers Act, will:

Provide more certainty regarding conditional payments so participants know the amount before settling.
Provide a more structured appeals process.
Require the government to establish a yearly threshold, thereby ensuring Medicare will not collect money on cases in which its cost to collect exceeds the amount.
Firm up language regarding the statute of limitations for Medicare to seek additional monies.
Clarify language as to when a payer can be fined for failing to report information to Medicare.

February 11, 2013

Undocumented workers is a hotbed issue for employers (08/29/11)
Report outlines effective strategies for successful self-insurance groups (06/18/12)
Opt-out proponents seek to expand support through education (09/10/12)
Economy, legislative reform, aging workers highlight regional sessions (10/29/12)
Liberty Mutual vows to press on with anti-AIG settlement effort (09/01/11)

Newsletter Sign-up