What is the copayment amount that Dr. Sanchez can collect from Mr. Pham, a Qualified Medicare Beneficiary?

A Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) is a person who qualifies for both Medicare and Medicaid, and as such, they have specific protection regarding out-of-pocket costs, including copayments. Under the QMB program, individuals have their Medicare premiums, deductibles, and copayments covered by Medicaid.

For a QMB like Mr. Pham, the correct understanding is that he should not be charged any copayment for Medicare services. Dr. Sanchez, therefore, cannot collect any copayment amount from Mr. Pham. Instead, any necessary copayment responsibility falls to Medicaid, which has its own guidelines.

Thus, the determination that the minimal copayment under Medicaid would apply is incorrect. In this context, since Mr. Pham is a Qualified Medicare Beneficiary, he should not face any copayment, reinforcing the understanding that QMBs are shielded from out-of-pocket expenses for Medicare services.