What does MSP stand for?

The Medicare secondary payer ("MSP") law has been on the books for many years, essentially requiring Medicare to be the "secondary" payer of health benefits for Medicare beneficiaries in situations where another entity is the "primary" payer of health benefits.

The Federal Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) Statute provides that Medicare is a secondary payer of future medical payments as compared to other sources of medical payments, including workers' compensation.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Using the Medicare Secondary Payer Act and the new SCHIP Extension Act passed in December of 2007, Medicare is bulling its way into workers' compensation and liability settlements.

Here, specifically, is what the PRM has to say about it: Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP).

INSURANCE Kay Werner has been promoted to manager of Medicare Secondary Payer Operations for Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield in Little Rock.

The bills would "amend the Social Security Act to eliminate the time limitation on benefits for immunosuppressive drugs under the Medicare program, to provide continued entitlement for such drugs for certain individuals after Medicare benefits end, and to extend certain Medicare secondary payer requirements.

The company also agreed to furnish information to the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA; Baltimore) that would identify instances where healthcare providers may have been reimbursed both by Medicare and private insurers; to maintain procedures that would insure the company properly pays Medicare Secondary Payer claims in the future; and to inform HCFA of situations where the company was the primary payer for Medicare beneficiaries.

Collectively, the changes have become known as the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) rules.