The Trump administration finalized two key documents for 2026 for Medicare Advantage and Part D – the annual rule and announcement. Learn about the changes in this podcast.
About The Podcast:
Millions of Americans feel confused and frustrated in their search for quality healthcare coverage.
Between out-of-control costs, countless inefficiencies, a lack of affordable universal access, and little focus on wellness and prevention, the system is clearly in dire need of change.
Hosted by healthcare policy and technology expert Marc S. Ryan, the Healthcare Labyrinth Podcast offers accessible, incisive deep dives on the most pressing issues and events in American healthcare.
Marc seeks to help Americans become wiser consumers and navigate the healthcare maze with more confidence and certainty through The Healthcare Labyrinth website and his book of the same name.
Marc is an unconventional Republican who believes that affordable universal access is a wise and prudent investment. He recommends common-sense solutions to reform American healthcare.
Tune in every week as Marc examines the latest developments in the space, offering analysis, insights, and predictions on the changing state of healthcare in America.
About The Episode:
On this episode, Marc discusses that the Trump administration finalized two key documents for 2026 for Medicare Advantage and Part D – the annual rule and announcement. These outline key policy changes.
Key Takeaways:
Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D plans are governed by two key documents – the annual announcement and annual rule.
The Biden administration proposed drafts of each and it was up to the Trump administration to finalize these policies for 2026.
The announcement largely governs rate setting. The final rate hike for MA was 5.06% — a major jump from the proposed 2.23%. Largely, utilization increased in more recent claims to produce the higher hike.
This will help MA plans in 2026, but the road is still rocky and there could be additional contraction of benefits and offerings.
The Trump administration threw out much of the MA and Part D rule and finalized a very small subset of Biden’s proposals.
The Trump administration finalized largely technical things in the final 2026 rule for Part D.
The Trump administration finalized some Part C policy recommendations, including prior authorization protections, supplemental benefit reforms, and special needs plans streamlining.
The Trump administration kept the Health Equity Index in the Star program but changed its name to the Excellent Health Outcome for All reward.
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Resources
The Healthcare Labyrinth: A Guide to Navigating Health Plans and Fixing American Health Insurance
