Health Care Financing Administration: Medicare Program; collection of unpaid Medicare premiums. Final rule with comment period.
This regulation specifies (1) the conditions under with HCFA will cease collection action on unpaid hospital insurance and supplementary medical insurance premiums; and (2) when collection action will be renewed. We are also clarifying the provision that specifies the sources from which we recover unpaid premiums. Under the regulations we will stop collection efforts when: 1 An individual, who is no longer entitled to a civil service annuity or to benefits under Title II or Title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act or the Railroad Retirement Act, is unable to make payment: 2. An individual's estate is unable to make payment; or 3. The cost of the collection activity is likely to exceed the amount to be recovered. (If an individual against whom collection activity has ceased later becomes entitled to benefits, HCFA will renew collection activity.) Ceasing collection activity in these cases will enable us to reduce the costs of billing and records maintenance. We are issuing these regulations as a final rule because they are technical regulations that authorize an internal operating procedure to clear our records. The regulations will not adversely affect any person or organization. Accordingly, we find good cause to waive the notice of proposed rulemaking. However, we are providing a comment period and will make any further revisions we find necessary based on comments we receive.
D006278:Medicare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010350:Patient Credit and Collection / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014481:United States