There are hundreds of personal injury attorneys waiting in line to reimburse Medicare from personal injury settlements.
When we have a client who has received healthcare paid for by Medicare, there is a statutory lien that attaches to the settlement. Once we settle such a case, the insurance company will include Medicare on the settlement check unless we can provide them with the "final" lien amount from Medicare, and then they will issue a separate check for the Medicare lien. It takes months to obtain the "final" lien amount.
I have settlement checks that are waiting for disbursement because I am in the labyrinth of Medicare. When Medicare is on the settlement check, I cannot negotiate the check. That means I don't get paid, my client does not get their settlement money and other medical providers working outside of Medicare do not get paid either.
You would think that where people are lined up waiting to pay, you would have an efficient process in place to take the money.
-- Deirdre Frank, Ventura