MRC Letter to Congress               


August 26, 2003


Dear Member of Congress:

The undersigned organizations write to urge your immediate action to reauthorize the Qualifying Individual-1 (QI-1) program when Congress reconvenes next month.

The QI-1 program helps more than 140,000 low-income older adults and persons with disabilities afford their health care by paying their Medicare Part B premiums. Annual Part B premiums total more than $700 in 2003 and will increase to nearly $800 in 2004.

Despite its clear benefit to thousands of low-income Americans with Medicare, the QI-1 program is currently set to end on September 30, 2003. The Administration and leaders in Congress want to extend the program, and the Senate Medicare bill in Conference Committee includes a QI-1 extension. Unfortunately, Medicare Conference deliberations will likely extend past QI-1’s expiration date. Therefore, it is essential that Congress immediately pass legislation to reauthorize QI-1 upon its return in early September.

Re-authorizing legislation will prevent the unnecessary hardship, confusion and administrative costs that termination would create. Without reauthorization, in mid-September, states will be forced to notify individuals currently enrolled in the QI-1 program of its termination and disenroll them. These individuals will lose critical health care assistance. They will need to reapply if the program is reauthorized at a later date.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Social Security Administration, the states and countless consumer groups have invested considerable time and resources to ensuring that QI-I eligible individuals are enrolled in the program. Your immediate reauthorization of the program will support these efforts. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to working with you to preserve this and other important low-income protections for Americans with Medicare.

Sincerely,

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