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April 10, 2024

Community Health Centers Suffering From Medicaid Disenrollment A new study of patients at community health centers are reporting major Medicaid disenrollments, which impacts the level of care that can be provided to these individuals.  Community health centers largely serve those in low-income areas. It also finds that about 75% of people who have lost Medicaid coverage are still disenrolled. Further, 32% have chronic conditions, 24% are children, 12% were adults older than 65 years of age and 12% had disabilities. #medicaid redeterminations #primarycare https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/one-year-after-unwinding-community-health-centers-struggle-medicaid-reenrollment Provider Impacts Continue From Cyberattack Physicians continue to see major impacts due to the Change Healthcare cyberattack. This comes from an American Medical Association (AMA) survey of more than 1,400 individuals. Over 77% of those surveyed said they experienced service disruptions beginning Feb. 21 and still feel impacts. Over a third (36%) saw claims payments suspended and 32% have not been able to submit claims. About

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April 9, 2024

CMS Cuts Off Broker Access To SSNs Kudos for Kaiser Health News’ articles and focus on fraudulent switching in the Exchanges by untrustworthy agents.  The trend has caused a lot of misery for enrollees.  One problem was the access by agents and brokers to full social security numbers (SSNs).  As of today, that has been cut off by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in the federal Marketplace.  Henry Kaiser is smiling from heaven. #kff #khn #fwa #exchanges #aca Link to Article Advocates And Insurers Urge Extension Of ACA Premium Enhancements For One Year Advocates and insurers are right that Congress should extend the enhanced premium subsidies for the Exchanges sometime in 2024.  They are set to expire Dec. 31, 2025, but should be extended to the end of 2026.  Why? Because plans submit proposed benefits and rates in early 2025 for 2026. If the premium enhancements are

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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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