President Obama Signs the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014

|Legal News, Medicare News, Medicare Secondary Payer – Information and Services for RREs/Primary Payers, Medicare Secondary Payer- Information and Services for Plaintiffs’ Counsel & Beneficiaries

On April 1, 2014, President Obama signed into law the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014. This new law prevents a scheduled payment reduction for physicians and other practitioners who treat Medicare patients from taking effect on April 1, 2014.

President Barack Obama speaking
This new law maintains the 0.5 percent update for such services that applied from January 1, 2014 through March 31, 2014 for the period April 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014. It also provides a zero percent update to the 2015 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) through March 31, 2015.

The new law extends several expiring provisions of law. We have included Medicare billing and claims processing information associated with the new legislation. Please note that these provisions do not reflect all of the Medicare provisions in the new law, and more information about other provisions will be forthcoming.

About the author

Seana B. Thomas

Founder and Principal Attorney, Seana Thomas is a recognized authority on Medicare Secondary Payer law (MSP) and procedure, and has been a civil litigator in California for over 25 years. Since 2008, Ms. Thomas has been involved in the analysis and understanding of issues relating to the existing Medicare Secondary Payer reimbursement system, current and anticipated revisions in MSP law and procedure in the liability context, and the effect they have on the rights and obligations of "primary payers" (RREs), beneficiaries and their counsel in liability claims or lawsuits asserted by a Medicare beneficiary.

In the summer of 2008 she was co-author, with Roy Franco, J.D. and David Rosenbaum, Esq., of a detailed analysis of the Medicare statutory reimbursement system and issues it presents for RREs and beneficiaries in the liability context in response to a Request for Comment regarding proposed changes to the MSP. This 100-plus page analysis was entered into the United States Congressional Record. Since then, MSP law and procedure has been a significant focus of Ms. Thomas's practice. Ms. Thomas continues an active civil litigation practice through trial and appeal for defense entities and plaintiffs. References are available upon request.

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