Senators May Let Medicare Qualified Individual (QI) Program Lapse
On Dec. 12, the Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on a bill to fix long-standing problems with Medicare physician payments. The fix may not include a permanent extension of the Medicare Qualified Individual (QI) program which helps over 400,000 low-income beneficiaries (those with incomes of about $14-$15,000) afford their Medicare Part B costs.
The bill is not expected to include provisions that would pay for QI. The result would be that many poor seniors would have to pay over $1,200 a year in new premiums. Since Dec. 2002, QI funding has been extended on a year-to-year basis.
The Leadership Council of Aging Organizations, to which NSCLC is a member, has long advocated for a permanent QI program fix.
NSCLC staff are available to help advocates with answers to questions about program rules and requirements, reviewing and analyzing pleadings, commenting on proposed litigation, assisting in the formulation of strategies, drafting opinion letters and providing memoranda, articles and other written materials.
