The check is in the mail — but, don’t cash it!
Don’t cash that check. The federal
government erroneously has reimbursed about 230,000 Medicare recipients for
monthly premiums they paid this year for prescription drug
coverage.
Don’t cash that check. The federal government erroneously has reimbursed about 230,000 Medicare recipients for monthly premiums they paid this year for prescription drug coverage. For many, the checks — totaling nearly $50 million — have already arrived.
The refund will undoubtedly cause confusion, particularly because it comes with a letter that mistakenly instructs older people that their monthly premiums will no longer be deducted from their Social Security check.
In many cases, older people get their Social Security payment through direct deposit. They, too, should set the extra money aside and not use it for other purposes because the payment will have to be returned, officials said.
McClellan said his agency will make sure that insurers who administer the new drug benefit continue to get paid for the beneficiaries caught up in the error. He said that his agency was responsible for the error and that the subsequent letter contains an apology.
Did someone in Washington hire back Michael Brown while we weren’t looking?
Posted: Sat - August 26, 2006 at 08:33 AM