| Opportunities to Support Enrollment in the Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help The Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help are important programs designed to help low-income Americans afford Medicare coverage. Many people who are eligible for these programs are not yet enrolled. Each May, the Social Security Administration (SSA) sends letters to 2 million low-income Medicare beneficiaries, informing them about the Medicare Savings Programs and how they can help with Medicare costs. These include the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB), Specified Low-income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), and Qualifying Individual (QI) programs. The letters provide information on what Medicare Savings Programs cover, a brief description of the income and asset criteria, and how to apply. SSA also sends a data file to each state – sent this year on May 7th – identifying the Medicare beneficiaries to whom the outreach letters are being mailed. States can use these data files to conduct targeted outreach to individuals who may qualify and support customer service representatives at Medicaid hotlines who may receive calls. More information on this outreach effort and the model letters (see specifically SSA-L447 and SSA-L448) are on the SSA website; the data file name is OLBG.BTI.S**.MEDOUT1.Ryymmdd. See also the data file specifications. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Announcing CMS FY2022 IPPS/LTCH PPS proposed rule (CMS-1752-P); Medicaid Provider Enrollment and Medicare Cost-sharing for Dually Eligible Beneficiaries On April 27, 2021, CMS issued the FY2022 IPPS/LTCH PPS proposed rule (CMS-1752-P). CMS is writing you today to flag one proposal that aims to improve state processing of Medicare cost sharing claims for services provided to dually eligible individuals. Specifically, this proposal would require state Medicaid agencies to allow enrollment of all Medicare-enrolled providers and suppliers for purposes of processing claims for Medicare cost sharing on services for dually eligible individuals. If finalized, this proposal will improve compliance with current statute and reduce burden for providers related to crossover claims submission and the claiming of Medicare bad debt. Additionally, we are requesting information from stakeholders on instances where states determine their cost-sharing liability for a Medicare service by applying the Medicaid payment and coverage rules for the service as if the service (rather than the cost-sharing) were being paid by Medicaid. The NPRM is available at https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2021-08888/medicare-program-hospital-inpatient-prospective-payment-systems-for-acute-care-hospitals-and-the. For the provision specific to dually eligible individuals, please see Section X ("Medicaid Enrollment of Medicare Providers and Suppliers for Purposes of Processing Claims for Cost-Sharing for Services Furnished to Dually Eligible Beneficiaries") and proposed changes to regulatory text in 42 CFR 455.10. As always, we encourage you to review closely and comment. The comment period closes on June 28, 2021. | 
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