The April 3, 2017 release of the 2018 Rate Announcement and Call Letter brought some welcome news for Medicare Advantage organizations and Part D sponsors (collectively, sponsors) and could signal improved transparency by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in its regulation of sponsors. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Health Subcommittee Chairman Pat Tiberi (R-OH) issued a joint statement in response to the CMS Rate Announcement:

We are encouraged the Trump Administration took steps to roll back some of the Obama Administration’s flawed payment policies that would have negatively impacted nearly 18 million seniors. We are also pleased that HHS Secretary Price recognized the importance of protecting access to Medicare Advantage, including for patients suffering from kidney disease—a bipartisan priority on our Committee. We look forward to working with the new Administration on policies that promote innovation and competition, improve the quality and coordination of care, and deliver our seniors flexibility and choice in Medicare.

MA Employer Group Waiver Plans (EGWPs).  With CMS’s waiver last year of the bid submission requirement for MA EGWPs, payment rates for these plans have been administratively set based on a blend of EGWP bids and individual market plan bids.  CMS solicited comments in the 2018 Advance Notice on whether it should use only individual market plan bids from 2017 to calculate the bid-to-benchmark ratios for the 2018 MA EGWP payment rates, or whether it should continue to use the bid-to-benchmark ratios applied in calculating the 2017 MA EGWP payment rates. CMS decided to pause the transition to 100% individual market plan bids with the result that 2018 MA EGWP payment rates will continue to reflect a blend of individual market plan bids from 2016 and EGWP bids from 2016, with individual market plan bids weighted by 50% and EGWP bids weighted by 50%.
Continue Reading Highlights from the 2018 Rate Announcement and Call Letter for Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D