CMS proposes additional 2020 payment changes for MA, Part D plans 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday proposed additional changes to Medicare Advantage and Part D payment policies beginning in calendar year 2020. CMS said the advance notice and draft call letter would give MA plans more flexibility to offer chronically ill patients a broader range of supplemental benefits, such as home-delivered meals or transportation for non-medical needs, and targeted benefits and cost-sharing reductions for patients with chronic pain or undergoing addiction treatment. The agency said the changes also would encourage Part D plans to provide lower cost sharing for opioid-reversal agents, and advance opioid-related measures through the Star Ratings development process. CMS anticipates that MA plans and Part D sponsors would see an average revenue increase of 1.59 percent under the proposed changes, excluding an average 3.3 percent increase in risk scores. In December, CMS proposed changes to the risk-adjustment model for aged and disabled beneficiaries enrolled in MA Part C plans beginning in calendar year 2020, as required by the 21st Century Cures Act. CMS will accept comments on both notices through March 1 and expects to publish a final notice by April 1.