Tens of Thousands of Beneficiaries Await Medicare Part B Refunds

Tens of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries nationwide who were enrolled in one of the few HMOs that paid all or part of their Part B premiums for 2006 have waited as long as 15 months for refunds of as much as $1,062 because of computer problems, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. The HMOs sent the payments to CMS for distribution to beneficiaries, but not all beneficiaries have received the refunds. According to CMS officials, computer problems and incorrect data entries caused the delay in distribution of the refunds. Most of the Medicare beneficiaries who have not received refunds live in Florida, Texas and Nevada -- states where a large number of beneficiaries are enrolled in HMOs. According to the Sun-Sentinel, "Medicare hopes to have the refunds paid within a few months but cannot offer a definite time frame" (LaMendola, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 4/12).