Medicare Temporarily Stops More Insurers From Automatically Enrolling Beneficiaries
In the "seamless conversion" process, insurers switch marketplace customers to Medicare Advantage plans as the customers reach the age of 65 and become eligible for Medicare. But advocates complain that some seniors would rather be in traditional Medicare or may not know that they have been switched. Also in Medicare news, a federal audit finds problems in payments to chiropractors, Iowa officials say two Medicare supplement companies misled potential customers and federal officials find problems with Medicare Advantage online directories.
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Halts Auto-Enrollment Proposals From Medicare Advantage Plans
The CMS has temporarily stopped accepting new proposals from health insurance companies seeking to automatically enroll their commercial or Medicaid patients into their Medicare Advantage plans. The federal agency also disclosed that 29 Medicare Advantage companies—including Aetna, UnitedHealth Group and several Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurers—can move consumers who had been enrolled in a regular plan into their Medicare Advantage products once the consumers turn 65 years old. (Herman and Livingston, 10/24)
North Carolina Health News:
Medicare Suspends 'Seamless Conversion' Practice, Allows For Re-Enrollment
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is backing away from a controversial “seamless conversion” policy, suspending the practice and allowing those enrolled under it to re-enroll in other plans including traditional Medicare. Under seamless conversion, an insurance company was allowed to notify a beneficiary approaching 65 that the person had been automatically enrolled in a company’s private “Medicare Advantage” plan instead of traditional Medicare. The person who was notified — often as part of countless mailings from Medicare-related providers — had to take an active step to opt out of the Medicare Advantage coverage. (Goldsmith, 10/24)
The Fiscal Times:
Medicare Paid Chiropractors Bone-Chilling Millions For Bogus Billings
An astounding 82 percent of Medicare payments for chiropractic services totaling hundreds of millions of dollars did not comply with Medicare rules and requirements, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. The report released last week found that lax oversight by Medicare auditors in ferreting out improper payments for chiropractic services during 2013 resulted in a loss to the government of $358.8 million of the $439 million in total payments, according to the IG’s report. (Pianin, 10/24)
Des Moines Register:
Medicare Supplement Letters Allegedly Misled Iowa Seniors
Two out-of-state companies could face fines for misleading Iowa seniors about their Medicare options, regulators said Monday. The Iowa Insurance Division has filed administrative charges against the two companies, the Robert Stillwell Agency, based in Pennsylvania, and Senior Direct, based in Texas. The charges against the Pennsylvania insurance agency and its president, Cynthia J. Fitzgerald, said it sent about 30,000 misleading letters to Iowans who buy Medicare supplement insurance. Medicare supplement plans cover costs not covered by the public insurance program for the elderly and disabled. (Leys, 10/24)
Kaiser Health News:
Feds Find Doctor Listings Often Wrong In Medicare Advantage Directories
Provider directories for private Medicare Advantage plans are riddled with errors, according to the government’s first in-depth review. The results made public Monday, arriving amid the annual enrollment period through Dec. 7, validate gripes long made by seniors and consumer advocates. The level of errors still surprised regulators, said officials from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services who disclosed their findings at an industry conference in Washington. (Galewitz, 10/24)