Download Free Electronic Document
| Format | File Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PDF file | 0.4 MB | Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience. |
Effective January 1, 2012, Medicare will require insurers and self-insured companies to report settlements, awards, and judgments that involve a Medicare beneficiary to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In the first year of the law's implementation, claims resolved for less than $5,000 will be exempt from the reporting requirement. In the second year, the threshold for reporting will fall to $2,000 and then $600. In the third year, all claims will have to be reported regardless of payment size. As a first step toward informing the policy debate about the costs of compliance, the amounts likely to be available for recovery under the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) Act, and the effects of different thresholds on these quantities, the researchers analyzed the effects of the eventual phaseout of the $5,000 threshold. The results of the analysis suggest that collecting on low-value claims provides Medicare with relatively little revenue and that such claims represent a substantial fraction of the reporting burden.
This research was supported by the RAND Institute for Civil Justice (ICJ).
This report is part of the RAND Corporation Occasional paper series. RAND occasional papers may include an informed perspective on a timely policy issue, a discussion of new research methodologies, essays, a paper presented at a conference, or a summary of work in progress. All RAND occasional papers undergo rigorous peer review to help ensure that they meet high standards for research quality and objectivity.
This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.