Important tax information: Medicare Advantage members to receive IRS Form 1095-B from CMS
Posted on February 17, 2016
Health New England Medicare Advantage members will soon or have already received a notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) along with an IRS Form 1095-B, Health Coverage. Form 1095-B identifies what health care coverage you had in 2015.* As the CMS notice explains, the information on Form 1095-B is to be used to complete your 2015 Federal income tax return.
Why am I getting this new form?
Medicare Part A, including coverage through your Health New England Medicare Advantage plan, qualifies as minimum essential coverage (MEC). As such, CMS is reporting information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) about all beneficiaries who have Medicare Part A, and is mailing notices to the following beneficiary populations:
- All individuals under the age of 65 with Medicare Part A
- Those who enrolled in Medicare Part A for the first time in 2015
- Those who had Medicare Part A coverage for part of 2015
The notices consist of a cover note from CMS and IRS Form 1095-B (see sample notice).
More about MEC reporting
As part of the Affordable Care Act*, the Individual Shared Responsibility provision requires that individuals have qualifying health care coverage, known as minimum essential coverage, qualify for an exemption, or make a payment when filing their tax return. In conjunction with the Individual Shared Responsibility provision, health insurance issuers are required to report to the IRS information about the type and period of coverage and furnish the information in statements to covered individuals.
If you have questions about minimum essential coverage, including the Form 1095-B mailed by CMS, please contact Medicare at (800) MEDICARE or visit Medicare.gov. For TTY, call (877) 486-2048. If you have tax-related questions, you should consult your tax advisor or the IRS directly.
*The Affordable Care Act’s requirement that everyone have health care coverage went into effect in 2014, and 2015 is the first year that employers and issuers are required to provide the new 1095 federal tax forms to members.
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