New Life Tables for WC Medicare Set Asides Take Effect July 19

On June 28, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued its 2006 U.S. Life Tables and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) subsequently announced that beginning July 19, it will reference Table 1: Life Table for the Total Population: United States, 2006, when calculating Workers’ Comp Medicare Set Aside life expectancies for newly submitted WCMSA proposals received by CMS’ Coordination of Benefits Contractor (COBC), as well as for any WCMSA case reopened on or after July 19, 2010.

In 2006, the overall expectation of life at birth was 77.7 years, an increase of 0.3 years from life expectancy in 2005. From 2005 to 2006, life expectancy at birth increased for all groups that were analyzed. For example, for males life expectancy increased from 74.9 to 75.1 years; for females it increased from 79.9 to 80.2 years.

The CMS announcement regarding the Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set Asides is posted online at http://www.cms.gov/WorkersCompAgencyServices/01_overview.asp#TopOfPage, and the 2006 U.S. Life Tables are posted at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr58/nvsr58_21.pdf.