BETTER MEDICARE ALLIANCE STATEMENT ON 2020 ADVANCE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE RATE NOTICE

Washington, D.C. – Better Medicare Alliance (BMA) President and CEO Allyson Y. Schwartz released the following statement in response to the CY2020 preliminary Medicare Advantage Advance Notice and Call Letter released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today:

“As Medicare Advantage continues to see growth and success in modernizing care provided in Medicare, it is critically important that there is a stable rate environment.

“We are encouraged by CMS’ proposals to allow Medicare Advantage plans and providers greater flexibility to meet the needs of chronically ill beneficiaries with the expansion of supplemental benefits. As a coalition that includes Medicare Advantage plans, providers, and community partners, we know that there is keen interest in addressing the needs of this complex population by expanding access to nutrition, meals, transportation, and home care services.

“The Administration also has proposed to further enable Medicare Advantage’s success in addressing opioid addiction among Medicare beneficiaries. Evidence has shown that beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage experience lower rates of opioid use. CMS’ proposals will build on this success by increasing access to effective treatments for opioid addiction and promote non-opioid therapies available in Medicare Advantage.

“In the days ahead, we will carefully analyze today’s advance rate notice and draft call letter. We will respond to the Administration’s  request for feedback and share perspectives from our coalition of over 120 ally organizations who are demonstrating the evidence of how Medicare Advantage is shaping the future of Medicare.”