Carey sponsors bipartisan COMP Act

A bipartisan bill offered on Feb. 15 by U.S. Rep. Mike Carey (R-OH) aims to protect injured workers whose compensation claims overlap with Medicare coverage.

“Hardworking Ohioans should not have to worry about bureaucratic red tape after enduring an injury in the workplace,” Rep. Carey said. “Our bipartisan, common-sense bill will help give American workers suffering from a work-related injury the peace of mind needed to focus on their recovery.”

The Coordination of Medicare Payments and Workers’ Compensation (COMP) Act, H.R. 7368, which Rep. Carey sponsored alongside lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), would amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the application of Medicare secondary payer rules to certain workers’ compensation settlement agreements and qualified Medicare set-aside provisions, according to the text of the bill.

“American workers should not face onerous barriers when they age into Medicare because of a workplace injury,” said Rep. Thompson. “Our bipartisan bill will make it easier for workers to receive Medicare services while safeguarding taxpayer dollars by ensuring Medicare isn’t on the hook for health care services that should be covered by a workers’ compensation plan.”

Specifically, H.R. 7368 would create certainty for workers by creating new, clear, and consistent guidelines for processing compensation claims that overlap with Medicare and would provide an appeals process for both employers and workers to challenge determinations made by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a summary of the bill says.

H.R. 7368 has been endorsed by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Workers’ Injury Law and Advocacy Group.