“We appreciate that with this closing amount observe, the administration proceeds to help innovation and versatility in Medicare Advantage, to make improvements to affordability, entry, and benefit for enrollees and taxpayers,” Eyles mentioned.
But Eyles noted that CMS is drafting restrictions that could impact 2023 Medicare approach procedures, this kind of as prescription pricing policies.
“We urge CMS to quickly re-appraise the substance and timing of these proposals, as 2023 Medicare Gain approach designs are remaining finalized now in advance of the June 6 deadline,” Eyles claimed.
The Poor Marketing Penalty
CMS has created a 5-star high-quality rating application for Medicare plan issuers, and it ties federal payment amounts to plans’ star rankings.
The company presently imposes a star-rating penalty when purchaser issues about advertising difficulties could lead to actions, this sort of as coverage alterations, in the upcoming.
The company has proposed a 2nd penalty for advertising and marketing complaints that guide to retroactive cancellations of coverage and other retroactive steps.
In the draft observe, officials proposed that the excess terrible advertising penalty could have lessened the 2021 star rankings of Medicare Benefit issuers that presented prescription drug coverage by an regular of 24%.
Most commenters opposed the addition of the new bad promoting penalty, according to CMS officials’ summary of the comments.
“Some commenters lifted problems about the character of these problems, proposed that all of these complaints should not be attributed to the options, and noted that lower enrollment designs could be disproportionately impacted,” officials mentioned. “Other commenters supported this update to hold sponsors accountable for issues resulting from marketing and advertising misrepresentation.”
Officials claimed that they would have to go by way of a official rulemaking method to incorporate the added lousy advertising and marketing penalty. They did not say no matter whether or not they would propose the addition of the penalty.
What It Indicates
Medicare plan marketing regulations could even now end up becoming rather stable in 2023, and the offer of plans could be strong, in spite of reports that some issuers believed extremely aggressive competitors could be underpricing coverage.
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