Last week, the Medicare Rights Center submitted comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2017 Advance Rate Notice and draft Call Letter (2017 Call Letter) for the Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D programs. The 2017 Call Letter proposes a variety of updates, including changes to payment methodologies designed to improve the accuracy of payments to plans serving beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, and modifications to payment structures for employer-sponsored MA plans.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced that it reached an important benchmark to tie 30 percent of Medicare payments to the quality of care delivered instead of the quantity of services provided. According to HHS, as a result “…over 10 million Medicare patients are getting improved quality of care by having more time with their doctors and better coordinated care.”