MARC Coalition Applauds House of Representatives Letter to CMS Urging Prompt Implementation of the Strengthening Medicare and Repaying Taxpayers (SMART) Act

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Medicare Advocacy Recovery Coalition (MARC) applauds Representatives Tim Murphy (PA-18) and Ron Kind (WI-3) for their leadership of a bi-partisan letter signed by eleven Members of the U.S. House of Representatives to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), urging the Agency to take immediate action to complete implementation of the Strengthening Medicare and Repaying Taxpayers (SMART) Act, introduced by Representatives Murphy and Kind into the Congress in 2011 and signed into law on January 10, 2013.  CMS was required by law to have implemented an electronic "portal" for the exchange of final conditional payment information no later than October 2013, and was to have eliminated the use of full Social Security numbers in the MSP Reporting process in July of this year.  The letter demands that the Agency to promptly and swiftly implement the changes required by the law. 

In their letter, the eleven Members of Congress stated: "While we appreciate the Agency's concerns over data privacy, every month of delay in establishing the online portal costs tens of millions of dollars in delayed repayments and lost settlements. We urge you to complete the development of a full and robust portal, to not only enhance Medicare recoveries, but to ease compliance for regulated entities and beneficiaries." Joining Representatives Murphy and Kind on the letter were Representatives Marsha Blackburn (TN-7), Roskam (IL-6), Pascrell (NJ-9), Kinzinger (IL-16), Barton (TX-6), Rangel (NY-13), Blumenauer (OR-3), Renacci (OH-16) and Schock (IL-18).  

We thank each Member of the House of Representatives for reaching out to CMS on this important issue" said Michelle Adams, Chair of the MARC Coalition.  "Congress has clearly spoken to the need to implement the SMART Act, and the bipartisan support for improving the Medicare Secondary Payer system speaks volumes to the need to help seniors, regulated companies, and the Medicare Trust Fund," she noted.  Greg McKenna, MARC Vice Chair noted that "timely implementation of the SMART Act holds the promise of improving the Medicare process for thousands of Medicare beneficiaries, which in turn can help provide millions to the Medicare Trust Fund faster.  This solution, if implemented by CMS in accord with the law, is good for companies large and small, as well as beneficiaries, throughout America."  "We thank Congressman Murphy and Congressman Kind for their sponsoring the bill in 2011, and following up on the issues now," he stated.

The House letter follows a similar letter sent several weeks earlier from the United States Senate calling for similar implementation of the SMART Act.  The Senate letter was led by Senator Rob Portman and was signed by seven United States Senators.

About MARC:
The Medicare Advocacy Recovery Coalition (MARC) advocates for the improvement of the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) program for beneficiaries and affected companies. The Coalition collaborates and develops strategic alliances with Congressional leaders and government agencies to focus on implementation of MSP reporting and on the broader issue of MSP reform. MARC's membership represents virtually every sector of the MSP regulated community including attorneys, brokers, insureds, insurers, insurance and trade associations, self-insureds and third-party administrators. For more information on MARC, please visit www.marccoalition.com.

SOURCE Medicare Advocacy Recovery Coalition