Equitable relief can be granted to allow an individual"s SMI coverage to end effective
with the termination of buy-in coverage, thus allowing him/her to avoid entirely any
premium liability. To do this, all of the following conditions must be met:
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•
the individual submits a written request to have the individual SMI coverage end effective
with the end of buy-in coverage;
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•
such request is filed within 30 days of the date of the HCFA-L1636 or other notice
informing the beneficiary of the buy-in termination; and
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•
the individual certifies that he/she has incurred no medical services covered under
SMI after the last month of buy-in coverage.
REMINDER: An individual granted retroactive SMI termination should be cautioned that if he/she
receives reimbursement for services received after buy-in ended, the amount of that
reimbursement represents an overpayment and can be collected later upon reenrollment.
If he/she is a monthly social security or Railroad Retirement beneficiary, it is collected
from monthly benefits.