Stamford, CT, June 30, 2010 … Gen Re hosted a seminar at its new corporate headquarters in Stamford, CT on the Medicare Secondary Payer Act, highlighting a wide variety of issues emanating from major recent revisions to the law. In the past, Medicare's ability to obtain information regarding private insurance settlements and enforce secondary payer provisions was limited. However, with the passage of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (MMSEA), Medicare now has tools to track payments for medical expenses from those deemed primarily responsible. At the seminar, industry and legal experts shared insights on the manner in which the Act now affects liability insurers in how they report and settle claims that involve Medicare-eligible claimants or plaintiffs. Nicholas Canelos, Gen Re's Global Claims Manager and the seminar host, commented, “Medicare reporting and reimbursement issues have the potential to delay or disrupt claim settlement negotiations. Understanding how to navigate through these shifting regulatory waters is critical for anyone who deals with a Medicare-eligible claimant.”

The speakers included lawyers from the firms of Wiley Rein, Skadden Arps, Patton Boggs, and SmithAmundsen, as well as experts from the American Insurance Association and Navigant Consulting. They provided an overview of the law and relevant cases, assessed legislative efforts aimed at amending the MMSEA, addressed reporting requirements, and offered important compliance and claim handling suggestions from both the plaintiff and defense perspective.

“Industry attendees were presented with many practical strategies for meeting the compliance challenges associated with the Medicare Secondary Payer Act. Open questions still remain, but the seminar certainly helped our clients gain a better understanding of the issues that they will confront going forward,” added Canelos.

More than 50 senior management representatives from liability and workers' compensation insurance companies attended the June 15, 2010 event.

For further information about the seminar, please contact John Keating at 203 328 5779 or jkeating@genre.com.

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Gen Re, as a Berkshire Hathaway Company, is one of the leading reinsurers in the world, and is represented by a network of more than 45 branch and subsidiary offices in key reinsurance markets.