January 6, 2023
If you participate in Blue Cross Medicare Advantage℠ plans, you may not bill our members enrolled in the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program, a federal Medicare savings program.
QMB patients are dual eligible beneficiaries, which means they are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. As a state Medicaid benefit, QMB covers the Medicare Advantage premiums, deductibles, coinsurance and copayments of QMB beneficiaries. QMB beneficiaries are not responsible for Medicare Advantage cost-sharing, or out-of-pocket costs.
For services you provide to QMB patients, you must:
- Bill both Medicare Advantage and Medicaid
- Accept Medicare Advantage payments and any Medicaid payments as payment in full
Tips to Avoid Billing QMB Patients
Please ensure that you and your staff are aware of the federal billing law and policies governing QMB. It is against federal law for any Medicare provider to bill QMB patients, whether or not the provider accepts Medicaid. Per your Medicare Provider Agreement, you may be sanctioned if you inappropriately bill QMB patients for Medicare Advantage cost-sharing.
To avoid billing QMB patients, please take these precautions:
- Understand the Medicare Advantage cost-sharing billing process
- Be sure your billing software and staff remove QMB patients from Medicare Advantage cost-sharing billing and related collections efforts
Questions?
Call Customer Service at 1-877-774-8592 to learn more about QMB procedures and ways to identify QMB patients. For more details about QMB, see the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website.
The information provided here is only intended to be a summary of the law that has been enacted and is not intended to be an exhaustive description of the law or a legal opinion of such law. If you have any questions regarding the law mentioned here, you should consult with your legal advisor.