primary plan

(2) Medicare secondary payer (A) In general Payment under this subchapter may not be made, except as provided in subparagraph (B), with respect to any item or service to the extent that— (i) payment has been made, or can reasonably be expected to be made, with respect to the item or service as required under paragraph (1), or (ii) payment has been made or can reasonably be expected to be made In this subsection, the term “primary plan” means a group health plan or large group health plan, to the extent that clause (i) applies, and a workmen’s compensation law or plan, an automobile or liability insurance policy or plan (including a self-insured plan) or no fault insurance, to the extent that clause (ii) applies. An entity that engages in a business, trade, or profession shall be deemed to have a self-insured plan if it carries its own risk (whether by a failure to obtain insurance, or otherwise) in whole or in part. (B) Conditional payment (i) Authority to make conditional payment The Secretary may make payment under this subchapter with respect to an item or service if a primary plan described in subparagraph (A)(ii) has not made or cannot reasonably be expected to make payment with respect to such item or service promptly (as determined in accordance with regulations). Any such payment by the Secretary shall be conditioned on reimbursement to the appropriate Trust Fund in accordance with the succeeding provisions of this subsection. (ii) Repayment required Subject to paragraph (9), a primary plan, and an entity that receives payment from a primary plan, shall reimburse the appropriate Trust Fund for any payment made by the Secretary under this subchapter with respect to an item or service if it is demonstrated that such primary plan has or had a responsibility to make payment with respect to such item or service. A primary plan’s responsibility for such payment may be demonstrated by a judgment, a payment conditioned upon the recipient’s compromise, waiver, or release (whether or not there is a determination or admission of liability) of payment for items or services included in a claim against the primary plan or the primary plan’s insured, or by other means. If reimbursement is not made to the appropriate Trust Fund before the expiration of the 60-day period that begins on the date notice of, or information related to, a primary plan’s responsibility for such payment or other information is received, the Secretary may charge interest (beginning with the date on which the notice or other information is received) on the amount of the reimbursement until reimbursement is made (at a rate determined by the Secretary in accordance with regulations of the Secretary of the Treasury applicable to charges for late payments). (iii) Action by United States In order to recover payment made under this subchapter for an item or service, the United States may bring an action against any or all entities that are or were required or responsible (directly, as an insurer or self-insurer, as a third-party administrator, as an employer that sponsors or contributes to a group health plan, or large group health plan, or otherwise) to make payment with respect to the same item or service (or any portion thereof) under a primary plan. The United States may, in accordance with paragraph (3)(A) collect double damages against any such entity. In addition, the United States may recover under this clause from any entity that has received payment from a primary plan or from the proceeds of a primary plan’s payment to any entity. The United States may not recover from a third-party administrator under this clause in cases where the third-party administrator would not be able to recover the amount at issue from the employer or group health plan and is not employed by or under contract with the employer or group health plan at the time the action for recovery is initiated by the United States or for whom it provides administrative services due to the insolvency or bankruptcy of the employer or plan. An action may not be brought by the United States under this clause with respect to payment owed unless the complaint is filed not later than 3 years after the date of the receipt of notice of a settlement, judgment, award, or other payment made pursuant to paragraph (8) relating to such payment owed. (iv) Subrogation rights The United States shall be subrogated (to the extent of payment made under this subchapter for such an item or service) to any right under this subsection of an individual or any other entity to payment with respect to such item or service under a primary plan. (v) Waiver of rights The Secretary may waive (in whole or in part) the provisions of this subparagraph in the case of an individual claim if the Secretary determines that the waiver is in the best interests of the program established under this subchapter. (vi) Claims-filing period Notwithstanding any other time limits that may exist for filing a claim under an employer group health plan, the United States may seek to recover conditional payments in accordance with this subparagraph where the request for payment is submitted to the entity required or responsible under this subsection to pay with respect to the item or service (or any portion thereof) under a primary plan within the 3-year period beginning on the date on which the item or service was furnished. (vii) Use of website to determine final conditional reimbursement amount (I) Notice to Secretary of expected date of a settlement, judgment, etc. In the case of a payment made by the Secretary pursuant to clause (i) for items and services provided to the claimant, the claimant or applicable plan (as defined in paragraph (8)(F)) may at any time beginning 120 days before the reasonably expected date of a settlement, judgment, award, or other payment, notify the Secretary that a payment is reasonably expected and the expected date of such payment. (II) Secretarial providing access to claims information through a website The Secretary shall maintain and make available to individuals to whom items and services are furnished under this subchapter (and to authorized family or other representatives recognized under regulations and to an applicable plan which has obtained the consent of the individual) access to information on the claims for such items and services (including payment amounts for such claims), including those claims that relate to a potential settlement, judgment, award, or other payment. Such access shall be provided to an individual, representative, or plan through a website that requires a password to gain access to the information. The Secretary shall update the information on claims and payments on such website in as timely a manner as possible but not later than 15 days after the date that payment is made. Information related to claims and payments subject to the notice under subclause (I) shall be maintained and made available consistent with the following: (aa) The information shall be as complete as possible and shall include provider or supplier name, diagnosis codes (if any), dates of service, and conditional payment amounts. (bb) The information accurately identifies those claims and payments that are related to a potential settlement, judgment, award, or other payment to which the provisions of this subsection apply. (cc) The website provides a method for the receipt of secure electronic communications with the individual, representative, or plan involved. (dd) The website provides that information is transmitted from the website in a form that includes an official time and date that the information is transmitted. (ee) The website shall permit the individual, representative, or plan to download a statement of reimbursement amounts (in this clause referred to as a “statement of reimbursement amount”) on payments for claims under this subchapter relating to a potential settlement, judgment, award, or other payment. (III) Use of timely web download as basis for final conditional amount If an individual (or other claimant or applicable plan with the consent of the individual) obtains a statement of reimbursement amount from the website during the protected period as defined in subclause (V) and the related settlement, judgment, award or other payment is made during such period, then the last statement of reimbursement amount that is downloaded during such period and within 3 business days before the date of the settlement, judgment, award, or other payment shall constitute the final conditional amount subject to recovery under clause (ii) related to such settlement, judgment, award, or other payment. (IV) Resolution of discrepancies If the individual (or authorized representative) believes there is a discrepancy with the statement of reimbursement amount, the Secretary shall provide a timely process to resolve the discrepancy. Under such process the individual (or representative) must provide documentation explaining the discrepancy and a proposal to resolve such discrepancy. Within 11 business days after the date of receipt of such documentation, the Secretary shall determine whether there is a reasonable basis to include or remove claims on the statement of reimbursement. If the Secretary does not make such determination within the 11 business-day period, then the proposal to resolve the discrepancy shall be accepted. If the Secretary determines within such period that there is not a reasonable basis to include or remove claims on the statement of reimbursement, the proposal shall be rejected. If the Secretary determines within such period that there is a reasonable basis to conclude there is a discrepancy, the Secretary must respond in a timely manner by agreeing to the proposal to resolve the discrepancy or by providing documentation showing with good cause why the Secretary is not agreeing to such proposal and establishing an alternate discrepancy resolution. In no case shall the process under this subclause be treated as an appeals process or as establishing a right of appeal for a statement of reimbursement amount and there shall be no administrative or judicial review of the Secretary’s determinations under this subclause. (V) Protected period In subclause (III), the term “protected period” means, with respect to a settlement, judgment, award or other payment relating to an injury or incident, the portion (if any) of the period beginning on the date of notice under subclause (I) with respect to such settlement, judgment, award, or other payment that is after the end of a Secretarial response period beginning on the date of such notice to the Secretary. Such Secretarial response period shall be a period of 65 days, except that such period may be extended by the Secretary for a period of an additional 30 days if the Secretary determines that additional time is required to address claims for which payment has been made. Such Secretarial response period shall be extended and shall not include any days for any part of which the Secretary determines (in accordance with regulations) that there was a failure in the claims and payment posting system and the failure was justified due to exceptional circumstances (as defined in such regulations). Such regulations shall define exceptional circumstances in a manner so that not more than 1 percent of the repayment obligations under this subclause would qualify as exceptional circumstances. (VI) Effective date The Secretary shall promulgate final regulations to carry out this clause not later than 9 months after January 10, 2013 . (VII) Website including successor technology In this clause, the term “website” includes any successor technology. (viii) Right of appeal for secondary payer determinations relating to liability insurance (including self-insurance), no fault insurance, and workers’ compensation laws and plans The Secretary shall promulgate regulations establishing a right of appeal and appeals process, with respect to any determination under this subsection for a payment made under this subchapter for an item or service for which the Secretary is seeking to recover conditional payments from an applicable plan (as defined in paragraph (8)(F)) that is a primary plan under subsection (A)(ii), under which the applicable plan involved, or an attorney, agent, or third party administrator on behalf of such plan, may appeal such determination. The individual furnished such an item or service shall be notified of the plan’s intent to appeal such determination (C) Treatment of questionnaires The Secretary may not fail to make payment under subparagraph (A) solely on the ground that an individual failed to complete a questionnaire concerning the existence of a primary plan.

Source

42 USC § 1395y(b)(2)


Scoping language

In this subsection
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