The Medicare Advocacy Recovery Coalition (MARC) today lauded Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) and Ron Kind (D-WI) for their introduction of the Secondary Payer Advancement, Rationalization, and Clarification (SPARC) Act (H.R. 1122) – a bipartisan measure to improve the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) program in Medicare Part D. While the MSP policy is designed to ensure that the Medicare program and prescription drug plans (PDPs) do not reimburse healthcare expenses for which another entity is legally responsible, literally every stakeholder agrees that the process by which PDPs recapture payment for claims that were not its responsibility to pay is broken. The SPARC Act will significantly improve the efficiency of the current system, providing a clear framework for communication among all stakeholders involved. "The SPARC Act will create a clear and functional MSP system for Part D drugs, benefiting Medicare beneficiaries and Part D Drug Plans alike" said Greg McKenna, Chair of the MARC Coalition and Senior Vice President for External Affairs of Gallagher Bassett Services Inc. “Today’s complicated regulatory atmosphere leads to inappropriate coverage denials for beneficiaries; costly, but mandatory pursuit of minuscule recoveries; and a paralyzing uncertainty for parties to medical liability settlements,” said Mr. McKenna.
"MARC applauds Congressmen Murphy and Kind for introducing the SPARC Act," said Margie O’Connor Fitzpatrick, Vice-Chair of MARC and Senior Technical Administrator of MetLife Auto and Home. "Both Representative Murphy and Representative Kind have been true leaders in protecting Medicare beneficiaries and in leading the effort to improve the MSP program in a way that benefits all stakeholders. Following their leadership in 2012 when they sponsored the SMART Act and guided it through to enactment, we are delighted that these two Members of Congress are leading the effort again. We strongly encourage other lawmakers to follow their lead and to co-sponsor the SPARC Act," said Ms. O’ConnorFitzpatrick. To define the parameters for fixing the MSP problem in Part D, MARC has advocated for the following four principles for reform:
To achieve a more efficient solution for beneficiaries, taxpayers, and employers, MARC encourages lawmakers to join Congressmen Murphy and Kind in co-sponsoring the SPARC Act, which achieves the four principles via the following key provisions:
ABOUT MARC When a beneficiary is injured and another party is supposed to cover their healthcare expenses – such as in a workers compensation claim – Medicare’s legal responsibility to pay is “secondary.” Unfortunately, the current Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) policy is convoluted and confusing, creating problems and inefficiencies for beneficiaries, settling parties and taxpayers alike. That’s why MARC exists: to support commonsense reforms to fix this broken system. MARC's membership represents virtually every sector of the MSP regulated community including attorneys, brokers, insureds, insurers, trade associations, selfinsureds and third-party administrators. For more information on MARC, please visit www.MARCcoalition.com. Comments are closed.
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