Medicare Set-Aside

I just received a notice from Social Security regarding my Workmen Comp settlement. They were shocked, just shocked that I had settled (2009) and wanted me to fill out a ream of forms. So today, that will be the focus.

It will begin with a copy of the settlement including the information regarding what was covered in the Medicare Set-Aside. My set-aside amount was just short of $100,000, an amount that both Medicare and the WC insurance company agreed upon in the settlement. The money was paid from the WC insurance company to me to be put into a separate bank account. It is money to be set aside for specific medical costs regarding my lungs for the rest of my life. The idea was that I would be billed by Medicare to re-pay those costs to them. These specific costs include things like rental of oxygen equipment, CT Scans, pulmonary doctor visits, that sort of thing. No medications were included in the set-aside.

In all these years, I have received two bills from Medicare. I paid them both but received a credit check from Medicare which was to pay back one of my checks. I didn't understand why but I deposited that credit back into the Medicare Set-Aside account. Haven't heard from them since.

So also today, I will include all those correspondences, copies of my check register, latest bank statement where the funds live, write a cover letter (forget the forms) and send them off via registered mail.

All in all, it should take about three hours to organize, write, copy and get everything sent off.

During the entire process of dealing with Medicare and all the lawsuits beginning in 2005, I often wondered how people who were not very literate or organized or healthy enough to deal with the endless paperwork got through it all. It is totally exhausting. Today, is just another example of that.