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Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) |
BackgroundPage last revised
Sep 16, 2008
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The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-173) legislative history, enacted December 8, 2003, required SSA to undertake a number of additional Medicare-related responsibilities. These responsibilities included making low-income subsidy determinations under the new Medicare Part D, notifying individuals of availability of Part D subsidies, withholding Part D premiums from monthly benefits for those beneficiaries who request such an arrangement, and enrolling TRICARE beneficiaries in Medicare Part B. The law also required, beginning in 2007, that Part B Medicare beneficiaries with modified adjusted gross incomes over certain thresholds pay a higher premium than individuals with lesser incomes. SSA was charged with making these determinations. |
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Mailing of 2008"Extra Help" Redeterminations |
The MMA requires SSA to make periodic redeterminations of "extra help" eligibility for individuals currently receiving cost-sharing assistance. In August 2008, over 250,000 beneficiaries were selected for such redeterminations. These individuals received redetermination forms (SSA-1026) in September 2008. More information on the "extra help" redetermination process is available here. | |
Part B IRMAA |
Fact sheets are available here explaining IRMAA for persons newly eligible for Medicare, and summarizing the rules for Part B premium calculation. Also available are a sample Part B premium notice , and a State-by-State beneficiary distribution table . Medicare Part B IRMAA final rules were published in the Federal Register on October 27, 2006, explaining how SSA will implement IRMAA. |
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Outreach Efforts |
SSA continues to search for ways to reach individuals who are potentially eligible for the low income Part D subsidy. For more information on these efforts, click this link to the Medicare outreach. |
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Online Outreach Resources Available |
Social Security provides additional outreach resources for individuals and organizations working to assist the public with the prescription drug “extra help” program (also known as the Medicare Part D Subsidy). The page, Information for Organizations, contains an online tool that can be used to assess an individual’s potential eligibility for a subsidy, copies of outreach posters, and additional training materials. |
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Summary of Part D Subsidy Regulations |
On December 30, 2005, final rules were published in the Federal Register explaining SSA’s policies for making low-income subsidy determinations under the new Medicare Part D. A summary and a copy of the regulations is available here. |
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Last reviewed or modified Tuesday Sep 16, 2008 |