CMS finalizes CY 2023 Medicare Advantage rule  

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Friday finalized policy and technical changes to the Medicare Advantage and prescription drug benefit for contract year 2023. To improve MA plan oversight, the final rule would reinstate plan reporting on medical loss ratio requirements that were relaxed in 2017; require plans to demonstrate a sufficient provider network when applying for a new or expanded contract; strengthen CMS’s ability to evaluate plan performance when reviewing proposals for new or expanded contracts; require plans to provide certain materials to beneficiaries in culturally and linguistically appropriate ways; and strengthen oversight of third-party marketing organizations, among other consumer protection provisions. The rule also codifies provisions intended to improve and better assess quality for special needs plans that serve beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.