49 soc.sec.rep.ser. 128, Medicare & Medicaid Guide P 43,653, 95 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 7840, 95 Daily Journal D.A.R. 13,435 Florence Zinman Virginia Kropf Grace M. Lee Marjorie Thompson Mary Buffalo Cecil A. Ridley and Ada G. Ellman, Individually and on Behalf of a Class of Persons Similarly Situated v. Donna E. Shalala, Secretary, Health and Human Services

67 F.3d 841 49 Soc.Sec.Rep.Ser. 128, Medicare & Medicaid Guide P 43,653, 95 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 7840 , 95 Daily Journal D.A.R. 13 ,435 Florence ZINMAN; Virginia Kropf; Grace M. Lee; Marjorie Thompson; Mary Buffalo; Cecil A. Ridley and Ada G. Ellman, individually and on behalf of a class of persons similarly situated, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. Donna E. SHALALA, Secretary, Health and Human Services, Defendant-Appellee. No. 94-15198. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and Submitted Sept. 13, 1995. Decided Oct. 5, 1995. Sally Hart Wilson, Center for Medical Advocacy, Tucson, Arizona, and Lenore E. Gerard, Legal Assistance to the Elderly, Inc., San Francisco, California, for plaintiffs-appellants. Matthew M. Collette, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for defendant-appellee. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Before: H. CHOY, BEEZER and THOMPSON, Circuit Judges. DAVID R. THOMPSON, Circuit Judge: 1 A nationwide class of Medicare beneficiaries who received or will receive lump-sum insurance settlement awards from third parties in connection with Medicare-covered injuries (beneficiaries) appeal…