Medicare “Doc Fix” Bill-Impact on Medicare Beneficiaries

If you haven’t had a chance yet to read the new law, you should take a look. Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 was signed by the President on April 16, 2015. Among some of the provisions to note is section 211 which provides for a permanent extension of the QI program (which had expired effective April 1 and had been reauthorized a year at a time), a change to Medigap plans (section 401) and a change to the income-related premium increases for higher income beneficiaries for Part B and D (section 402). These last 2 are part of the offsets in the bill.  For the Medigap plans, effective in 2020, those newly eligible for Medicare won’t be able to buy a gap plan to cover the Part B deductible.  The changes to the income-related premium adjustments take effect a little earlier (2018)  and those beneficiaries affected by the change will be paying more for their Medicare coverage.