CMS NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 16, 2017
Contact: CMS Media Relations
(202) 690-6145 | CMS
Media Inquiries
CMS releases proposed rule to
increase choices and lower premiums for Medicare Advantage enrollees
Medicare beneficiaries will
see more choices and greater affordability as a result of increased
flexibilities
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a
proposed rule that will result in lower premiums and increased plan choices
for Medicare beneficiaries. During this year’s Medicare Advantage Open
Enrollment, which started October 15th and runs until December 7th,
seniors enrolling in Medicare Advantage have seen average monthly premiums
drop by 6%, and CMS is proposing changes to continue to drive affordable
options for Medicare beneficiaries that meet their unique health needs.
Medicare Advantage remains a popular choice among beneficiaries and has
high beneficiary satisfaction. Enrollment in Medicare Advantage is at an
all-time high as approximately one-third of Medicare beneficiaries are in a
Medicare Advantage plan. The number of Medicare Advantage plans available
to individuals to choose from across the country is increasing from about
2,700 to more than 3,100 – and more than 85 percent of Medicare
beneficiaries will have access to 10 or more Medicare Advantage plan
choices.
CMS is providing new flexibility for customized benefit designs that
address the specific health needs of certain beneficiaries. This new
flexibility will allow additional plan variety and options, reduced cost
sharing for customized benefits and different cost-sharing for
beneficiaries that meet specific medical criteria. CMS is also proposing to
provide greater flexibility to encourage lower maximum out of pocket levels
of beneficiary cost sharing.
This year, CMS received numerous ideas on how to improve Medicare
Advantage from beneficiaries, Medicare Advantage plans, advocacy groups,
and other stakeholders. The policies in the proposed rule are responsive to
this feedback.
“This administration has been committed, from the beginning, to making
sure that our seniors have more choices and lower premiums in their Medicare
Advantage plans. To that end, we are adding new flexibilities that will
allow seniors to choose plans that are tailor-made to their unique needs,
with lower out of pocket costs,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “We
have also been committed to reducing unnecessary regulations that have
driven up the cost of healthcare without improving care, so we are
eliminating burdensome regulations on plans and providers that have stood
in the way of providing quality patient care.”
The proposed rule also furthers CMS’ Patients Over Paperwork initiative,
which is an effort that aims to remove regulatory obstacles in order to
empower patients and providers to make healthcare decisions; to develop
innovative approaches to improving quality, accessibility, and affordability;
and to improve Medicare beneficiaries’ customer experience. Specifically,
the proposed rule would reduce regulatory burdens by:
·
Allowing
CMS to permit electronic delivery of more materials to beneficiaries;
·
Improving
transparency of the Medicare Advantage Star Ratings to that give patients
information about each plan’s quality rating.
·
Streamlining
government review and approval of materials that Medicare Advantage plans
use to communicate with beneficiaries; and
·
Eliminating
burdensome enrollment requirements for providers that bring value to
Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.
For a fact sheet on the proposed rule, please visit: https://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Fact-sheets/2017-Fact-Sheet-items/2017-11-16.html.
The proposed rule (CMS-4182-P) can be downloaded from the Federal
Register at: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection.
###
|
No comments:
Post a Comment