History of the Medicare Wizard

By way of history... the Medicare Wizard was a software program created by the Social Security Administration for Claims Representatives to use in the field. Its purpose was to streamline and assist the Claims Representative in determining exactly at what point in time a Title II beneficiary's Medicare would end in light of recent changes to continued Medicare coverage available to beneficiaries who work. During its initial use by Claims Reps in the field, many SSA-sponsored benefits planners and advocates requested copies of the software to assist them in conducting their work with beneficiaries. SSA decided that the software would be useful to practitioners in the field but wanted to ensure that the software could be easily updated and that certain quality assurance measures were in place to ensure appropriate usage. Toward that end Cornell University worked with the SSA to create the Medicare Wizard Online.