f you’re a small or mid-sized employer, there’s an important compliance deadline you need to know about. The deadline to submit your Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) data has been extended to September 30 — giving you extra time to get your information in, but also a clear reason to act now.
What Is the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) Requirement?
Under federal law, insurance carriers must collect and report certain employer information to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) each year. This helps determine whether Medicare or your group health plan should pay first (primary) when an employee is eligible for Medicare.
Why You Need to Act
If your company does not submit its MSP information by the deadline, your group health plan will automatically be set to primary payer status. This could:
- Delay or impact employees’ claim payments.
- Cause inaccurate quarterly reports to CMS.
- Create unnecessary administrative issues for your plan.
This requirement applies even if nothing has changed since the information you submitted last year.
How to Submit Your MSP Data
- Where to submit: Log in to your Blue Access for Employers℠ account.
- When to submit: Before September 30 to avoid negative impacts.
- What you’ll need: Employer size information and other basic group details.
What’s Happening Next
- The week of August 18: Groups that have not yet submitted their MSP data will receive an email reminder about the new deadline.
- The week of September 22: A final reminder will be sent to any groups still outstanding.
We Can Help You Meet the Deadline
If you’re unsure how to complete your MSP submission or need help accessing your Blue Access for Employers account, contact us right away. We can walk you through the process so you meet the deadline and keep your plan in good standing.
I can also make a shorter “client alert” version of this post for email or newsletter use so you can quickly get the message out.