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April 8, 2024

Study Finds Enrollees Like Zero-Premium Benefit Of MA A Harvard and Inovalon study finds that enrollees in Medicare Advantage (MA) with zero-dollar premiums are three times more likely to be minorities than white. They also are more likely to be urban. Researchers note that MA is not monolithic and that different benefit offerings appeals to enrollees. The same researchers have found that MA enrollees have fewer hospitalizations, yet more social determinant barriers. More are in Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) products which has lower costs. I would note that MedPAC and other critical organizations simply spend too little time on these types of stats.  I would also say that these kind of advantages for low and fixed income seniors will be ruined by poor rate hikes and terrible prior authorization rules that have just been finalized. It is a real shame. #medicareadvantage Link to Article Fitch Says Utilization Spikes Cloud MA

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Finalization of 2025 Policies: Major Changes Coming To Medicare Advantage and Part D

Just recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized two important notices and rules impacting CY 2025: the 2025 annual rate-setting and policy notice as well as the draft 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D rule. In this blog, I will write about both the 2025 final rule as well as the policy changes in the 2025 final notice. In my blog on April 4, 2024, I discussed the rate-setting components of the annual rate-setting and policy notice.  That blog is here: https://www.healthcarelabyrinth.com/final-2025-rates-for-medicare-advantage-remain-as-proposed/ . In addition, my February 1, 2024 blog on the draft notice is here and has more details: https://www.healthcarelabyrinth.com/2025-rates-for-medicare-advantage-plans-look-tight/ . They should be read together due to a few changes. In addition to the below, you can see my November 13, 2023 blog on the 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D rule when it was first announced.  This has additional details but also should be

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April 5, 2024

CMS Allows Absolute Biosimilar Substitution In Part D Medicare Part D plans can now immediately substitute all FDA-approved biosimilars even if they are not deemed interchangeable by the drug approval agency, under the 2025 Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D rule finalized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Servies (CMS). Interchangeability is an extra step that drug makers take to substitute for brand biologics. The new rule will allow Part D plans to treat formulary substitutions of any biosimilars as maintenance changes as was allowed earlier just for interchangeables. The Biden administration has pushed for biosimilar adoption in many ways and this is yet another. This should begin to mean lower biologic costs for Medicare members. (Article may require a subscription.) #biosimilars #drugpricing #medicareadvantage #partd #medicare Link to Article CMS Changes MTM Criteria, Including Adding HIV/AIDs As Core Disease State The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized

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