This week our In Focus section reviews the Advance Notice of Methodological Changes for Calendar Year (CY) 2023 for Medicare Advantage (MA) Capitation Rates and Part C and Part D Payment Policies issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on February 1, 2022. The Advance Notice includes proposed updates to MA payment rates and guidance to plan sponsors as they prepare their bids for CY 2023. It also shows CMS’ updates to Part D benefit parameters. Comments are due by 6:00 PM EST on March 4, 2022. The final Rate Announcement will be published by April 4, 2022.
Medicare
CMS Seeks New Direction for Medicare Advantage and Part D Markets on Health Equity, Dual Eligible Integration
This week, our In Focus section highlights the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed changes to the Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D programs for contract year 2023 and how these changes may impact plan applications, bid submissions, and market dynamics for future years. The analysis and insight reflect the combined expertise of HMA and its companies including the Wakely Consulting Group and The Moran Company.
CMS Changes to the Medicare Advantage Star Rating Program Drive Significant Increases to Overall Star Ratings
This week, our In Focus section highlights a Wakely white paper titled, CMS Changes to the Medicare Advantage Star Rating Program Drive Significant Increases to Overall Star Ratings. Authored by Suzanna-Grace Sayre and Dani Cronick and published January 2022, this paper outlines the CMS modifications to the 2022 Star Ratings due to COVID-19, quantifies the estimated impact on 2023 MA spending, and discusses how these changes could influence the MA market in 2023.
Former CMMI director joins HMA, will help lead Medicare team
Amy Bassano, former deputy director for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has joined national healthcare consulting firm Health Management Associates (HMA), taking the helm as a managing director of Medicare services.
Key takeaways from CMS Innovation Center strategy refresh
This week, our In Focus section shares HMA’s takeaways from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) white paper on the CMS Innovation Center Strategy Refresh: Driving Health System Transformation – A Strategy for the CMS Innovation Center’s Second Decade.
HMA Brief Examines Options for CMMI to Refine Approach for Testing Medicare Program Improvements
This week, our In Focus highlights a recent issue brief, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation: Recommendations for Future Direction, revisits questions raised in a previous HMA report and offers potential answers to guide progress and changes for demonstrations within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) or the Innovation Center.
2022 Star Ratings, An Historical Year
This week, our In Focus provides an analysis of 2022 Medicare Advantage (MA) Star Ratings, including a look at how regulatory changes during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a record number of Medicare plans receiving historically high scores. HMA Managing Director Anthony Davis and Principal Sarah Owens rely on data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to take a deep dive into ratings for nearly 500 Medicare plans serving 26.8 million members.
Medicare-Medicaid Integration: Essential Elements, Policy Recommendations for Integrated Dual Eligible Care Programs
This week, our In Focus section releases a new brief from Health Management Associates, Medicare-Medicaid Integration: Essential Program Elements and Policy Recommendations for Integrated Care Programs for Dually Eligible Individuals. The authors are Sarah Barth, Ellen Breslin, Samantha DiPaola and Narda Ipakchi.[1]
State Efforts to Integrate Care Across Medicaid FFS LTSS and Medicare Advantage D-SNPs
This week, our In Focus section reviews a new paper from Health Management Associates,State Efforts to Integrate Care Across Medicaid Fee-for-Service Long-Term Services and Supports and Medicare Advantage Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans by Sarah Barth, Rachel Deadmon and Julie Faulhaber. Funded by UnitedHealthcare, this paper outlines approaches taken by Medicaid programs seeking to coordinate Medicare and Medicaid services for dually eligible individuals without first implementing standalone Medicaid managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) programs.
Which Medicare Changes Should Continue Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic? Four Questions for Policymakers
In an issue brief prepared for The Commonwealth Fund and The SCAN Foundation, HMA consultant Jennifer Podulka and Vice President Jonathan Blum, analyze the temporary COVID-19-related changes to Medicare regulations, described the benefits and risks of the changes, and offered a framework to support policymakers’ decisions on the future of these temporary policies.