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Inflation Reduction Act: Update on CMS Implementation

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Mon, Aug 28, 2023 @ 10:40 AM

CMS The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was signed into law on August 16, 2022. The new law provides meaningful financial relief for millions of people with Medicare by improving access to affordable treatments and strengthening the Medicare Program both now and in the long run. The law makes improvements to Medicare by expanding benefits, lowering drug costs, keeping prescription drug premiums stable, and improving the strength of the Medicare program. The law also extends enhanced financial help to purchase HealthCare.gov and state-based Marketplace plans and expands access to Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended vaccines for adults with Medicaid coverage.

 Specifically, the Inflation Reduction Act:

  • Ensures that people with Medicare pay no more than $35 for a month’s supply for each covered insulin product under Medicare prescription drug coverage, Traditional Medicare, or Medicare Advantage.
  • Lowers Medicare Part D prescription drug costs and redesigns the prescription drug program (e.g., people enrolled in Medicare prescription drug coverage who have very high drug costs will no longer have to pay cost-sharing for their prescription drugs in the catastrophic phase of the program starting in 2024, and caps annual out-of-pocket prescription drug costs at $2,000 for 2025).
  • Makes adult vaccines, recommended by the ACIP, available at no cost for people with Medicare prescription drug coverage starting January 1, 2023, and later in 2023 for people with Medicaid coverage.
  • Allows Medicare to negotiate directly with participating drug companies to improve access to innovative treatments for people with Medicare and lower costs for the Medicare program.
  • Requires drug companies that raise their drug prices faster than the rate of inflation to pay Medicare a rebate and reduces coinsurance for these drugs for people with Medicare under certain circumstances.
  • Provides more assistance in affording Medicare prescription drug coverage premiums and out-of-pocket drug costs by expanding the low-income subsidy program (LIS or “Extra Help”) under Medicare Part D to 150% of the federal poverty level starting in 2024.
  • Extends increased financial help to purchase affordable, comprehensive health insurance plans through HealthCare.gov and the state-based Marketplaces.

This law means millions of Americans across all 50 states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia will save money from meaningful benefits. The Inflation Reduction Act is accomplishing the following just one year after being enacted:

  • Saving Affordable Care Act Marketplace consumers an average of more than $800 per year from continued expansion of financial assistance, based on national estimates.
  • Driving the nation’s uninsured rate to historic lows.
  • Lowering insulin costs for 4 million seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes by capping a month’s supply of each covered insulin at $35.
  • Providing ACIP-recommended adult vaccines at no cost to millions of people with Medicare.
  • Lowering out-of-pocket costs for some people with Medicare for certain Part B drugs and biologicals with prices that have increased faster than the rate of inflation.
  • Projecting savings for nearly 19 million seniors of an average of $400 per year when the $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs goes into effect in 2025.

 

 

Tags: Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, Medicare Part D, CMS

Benefits of Using a Client Needs Assessment Form

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Mon, Aug 28, 2023 @ 09:18 AM

CNA The assessment form allows insurance agents to gather comprehensive information about the client. This information is crucial for guiding clients towards the most suitable plans. With a clear understanding of the client's needs, agents can recommend plans that align with the client's health requirements and preferences. This ensures that clients enroll in plans that cover their specific healthcare services and medications.

Want a custom version with your info and logo? Inquire with your Marketing Representative today and we would be happy to accommodate!

Step 1 - Collecting information through a CNA for all your clients is the optimal method to guarantee your ability to offer coverage options and plan selections that align with their present circumstances.

Step 2 - Engage in the CNA process to gain insights (or refresh your understanding) into your client's Medicare eligibility, existing coverage, and their primary concerns regarding their healthcare coverage.

Step 3 - Utilize the details gathered from the CNA, along with your discussion, to introduce potential plan choices that align with their particular requirements.

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By analyzing the assessment form, insurance agents can identify potential coverage gaps in a client's current or desired plan. This allows agents to suggest supplemental plans to fill those gaps. By involving clients in the assessment process, insurance agents educate them about different coverage options, and potential out-of-pocket costs. This empowers clients to make informed decisions about their healthcare.

 

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Tags: Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, Medicare Part D, Professional Networking, Marketing

Your Guide to Marketing Medicare Plans in Your Community

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Thu, Aug 24, 2023 @ 12:49 PM

Medicare Marketing - LocalIn this guide we will explore some creative and effective marketing ideas to engage with your local community to build a formidable Medicare business. All while staying local and budget-friendly. Added bonus - Learn about a simple idea that is inexpensive and generates fantastic results. Download the guide today.

Building relationships and trust within your community is paramount. By demonstrating a genuine commitment to helping seniors find the right Medicare plans for their needs, you can establish yourself as a valuable resource and trusted partner in healthcare decisions.

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Tags: Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, Medicare Part D, Professional Networking, direct mail, Seminar, Marketing, Local

Customized Promotional Medicare Flyers

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Fri, Jul 07, 2023 @ 12:17 PM

Tags: Sales Tips, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, Medicare Part D, Insurance Marketing

Important Cigna PDP Update: Commissionable PDP in AEP 2024

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Thu, Jul 06, 2023 @ 04:16 PM

Tags: Cigna, Medicare Part D

2024 FMV Medicare Advantage & PDP Commissions Announced

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Thu, Jun 22, 2023 @ 09:32 AM

2024 MA Commissions

2024 Commissions for MA, PDP and referrals have been announced.

We have highlighted the 2024 document changes below. You can review the official CMS notice here. Over the last decade the National rate for MA first year and renewal commissions have increased by 50%.

MA and Section 1876 Cost Plans
Compensation Type National Connecticut, Pennsylvania,
District of Columbia
California
New Jersey
Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands
Initial Year $611 $689 $762 $418
Renewal Years $306 $345 $381 $209
PDPs
Initial Year $100
Renewal Years $50
Referral Fees
Initial Year $100
Renewal Years $25

NOTE: CMS rounded the FMV amounts for CY 2024 up to the nearest dollar. The Initial Year amount is the maximum allowable amount that organizations may pay for enrollments during compensation cycle-year 1. The renewal amount is the maximum allowable amount that organizations may pay for enrollments during compensation cycle-years 2 and beyond, for a like plan type. 

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The AEP is right around the corner and there are some exciting opportunities on the horizon for 2024. Get prepared early to ensure a successful Annual Enrollment Period. We are here to help!

Resources:

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Tags: Medicare Advantage, Referrals, Medicare Part D, CMS, commissions

Important Cigna PDP Commissions Update

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Thu, May 04, 2023 @ 02:47 PM

Tags: Cigna, Medicare Part D

Half of All Eligible Medicare Beneficiaries Are Now Enrolled in Private Medicare Advantage Plans

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Wed, May 03, 2023 @ 10:35 AM

Half of All Eligible Medicare Beneficiaries Are Now Enrolled in Private Medicare Advantage Plans

According to recently released data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare Advantage now provides Medicare coverage for just over half of eligible beneficiaries. In January 2023, 30.19 million of the 59.82 million people with both Medicare Part A and Part B were enrolled in a private plan.

Medicare Advantage, the private plan alternative to traditional Medicare, covers Medicare Part A and B benefits (and typically Part D benefits), often for no additional premium (other than the Part B premium). Insurance companies contract with the Medicare program and receive payments for providing these services.

Enrollment in Medicare Advantage has increased dramatically in recent years. In 2007, less than one in five (19%) eligible Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in a private plan. The growth in enrollment is due to a number of factors, including the attraction of extra benefits offered by most plans, such as vision, hearing, and dental services, and the potential for lower out-of-pocket spending, particularly compared to traditional Medicare without supplemental coverage.

Read the full article here.

Source: https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/half-of-all-eligible-medicare-beneficiaries-are-now-enrolled-in-private-medicare-advantage-plans/ 

 

 

Tags: Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, CMS, star ratings

2024 Medicare Advantage and Part D Final Rule (CMS-4201-F)

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Mon, May 01, 2023 @ 11:56 AM

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Background

On April 5, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that revises the Medicare Advantage (MA or Part C), Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Part D), Medicare Cost Plan, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) regulations to implement changes related to Star Ratings, marketing and communications, health equity, provider directories, coverage criteria, prior authorization, network adequacy, and other programmatic areas. This final rule also codifies regulations implementing section 118 of Division CC of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and section 11404 of the Inflation Reduction Act, and includes provisions to codify existing sub-regulatory guidance in the Part C, Part D, and PACE programs. 

In this final rule, CMS is not addressing comments received on the provisions of the proposed rule that we are not finalizing at this time. Rather, the agency will address them at a later time, such as in possible future rulemaking, as appropriate.

This fact sheet discusses the major provisions of the final rule. The final rule can be downloaded here: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/current.

Enhancements to Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D

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Ensuring Timely Access to Care: Utilization Management Requirements

CMS has received numerous inquiries regarding the use of prior authorization by Medicare Advantage plans and the effect on beneficiary access to care. In the rule, CMS finalizes impactful changes to address these concerns and to advance timely access to medically necessary care for enrollees.

The final rule clarifies clinical criteria guidelines to ensure people with MA receive access to the same medically necessary care they would receive in Traditional Medicare. This aligns with recent Office of Inspector General (OIG) recommendations. Specifically, CMS clarifies rules related to acceptable coverage criteria for basic benefits by requiring that MA plans must comply with national coverage determinations (NCD), local coverage determinations (LCD), and general coverage and benefit conditions included in Traditional Medicare regulations. CMS is also finalizing that when coverage criteria are not fully established, MA organizations may create internal coverage criteria based on current evidence in widely used treatment guidelines or clinical literature made publicly available to CMS, enrollees, and providers. In the final rule, CMS more clearly defines when applicable Medicare coverage criteria are not fully established by explicitly stating the circumstances under which MA plans may apply internal coverage criteria when making medical necessity decisions. CMS believes that permitting the use of publicly accessible internal coverage criteria in limited circumstances is necessary to promote transparent, and evidence-based clinical decisions by MA plans that are consistent with Traditional Medicare.

The final rule also streamlines prior authorization requirements, including adding continuity of care requirements and reducing disruptions for beneficiaries. CMS’ final rule requires that coordinated care plan prior authorization policies may only be used to confirm the presence of diagnoses or other medical criteria and/or ensure that an item or service is medically necessary. Second, this final rule requires coordinated care plans to provide a minimum 90-day transition period when an enrollee currently undergoing treatment switches to a new MA plan, during which the new MA plan may not require prior authorization for the active course of treatment. Third, to ensure prior authorization is being used appropriately, CMS is requiring all MA plans establish a Utilization Management Committee to review policies annually and ensure consistency with Traditional Medicare’s national and local coverage decisions and guidelines. Finally, to address concerns that the proposed rule did not sufficiently define the expected duration of “course of treatment,” the final rule requires that approval of a prior authorization request for a course of treatment must be valid for as long as medically reasonable and necessary to avoid disruptions in care in accordance with applicable coverage criteria, the patient’s medical history, and the treating provider’s recommendation.

Together, these changes will help ensure enrollees have consistent access to medically- necessary care while also maintaining medical management tools that emphasize the important role MA plans play in coordinating medically-necessary care.

2-Apr-13-2023-03-29-48-0508-PM

Protecting Beneficiaries: Marketing Requirements

The final rule also takes critical steps to protect people with Medicare from confusing and potentially misleading marketing while also ensuring they have accurate and necessary information to make coverage choices that best meet their needs. The proliferation of certain television advertisements generically promoting enrollment in MA plans has been a specific topic of concern. To address these concerns, CMS is prohibiting ads that do not mention a specific plan name as well as ads that use words and imagery that may confuse beneficiaries or use language or Medicare logos in a way that is misleading, confusing, or misrepresents the plan. In the rule, CMS also reinstates important protections that prevent predatory behavior and finalized changes that strengthen the role of plans in monitoring agent and broker activity. CMS is also finalizing requirements to further protect Medicare beneficiaries by ensuring they receive accurate information about Medicare coverage and are aware of how to access accurate information from other available sources.

CMS is finalizing 21 of the 22 provisions we proposed, with 17 of the 21 provisions being finalized as proposed. The four provisions CMS is finalizing but modifying include: permitting agents to make Business Reply Cards available at educational events; requiring an agent to tell prospective enrollees how many plans are available from the  organization for whom the agent sells; extending the length of time agents are able to re-contact beneficiaries to discuss plan options to twelve months; and allowing an agent to meet with a beneficiary without waiting the full 48-hour cooling off period when the timeframe runs up against the end of an election period, or a beneficiary faces transportation or access challenges, or the beneficiary voluntarily walks into an agent’s office. CMS will continue to explore including the provision that is not being finalized in this rule in possible future rulemaking.

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Strengthening Quality: Star Ratings Program

CMS continues improvements to the Star Ratings program by finalizing new methodological enhancements to further drive quality improvement for all enrollees. In this rule, CMS finalizes a health equity index (HEI) reward, beginning with the 2027 Star Ratings, to further encourage MA and Part D plans to improve care for enrollees with certain social risk factors. CMS also reduces the weight of patient experience/complaints and access measures to further align with other CMS quality programs and the current CMS Quality Strategy. In addition, CMS includes an additional rule for the removal of Star Ratings measures and removes the 60 percent rule that is part of the adjustment for extreme and uncontrollable circumstances. The changes will further drive quality improvement and health equity in MA and Part D.

Advancing Health Equity

CMS is committed to advancing health equity for all, including those who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.[1] CMS is clarifying current rules, expanding the example list of populations that MA organizations must provide services in a culturally competent manner. These include people: (1) with limited English proficiency or reading skills; (2) of ethnic, cultural, racial, or religious minorities; (3) with disabilities; (4) who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or other diverse sexual orientations; (5) who identify as transgender, nonbinary, and other diverse gender identities, or people who were born intersex; (6) who live in rural areas and other areas with high levels of deprivation; and (7) otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.

Studies demonstrate low digital health literacy, especially among populations experiencing health disparities, continues to impede telehealth access and worsen care gaps particularly among older adults. CMS is finalizing requirements for MA organizations to develop and maintain procedures to offer digital health education to enrollees to improve access to medically necessary covered telehealth benefits. In addition, CMS is enhancing current best practices by requiring MA organizations to include providers’ cultural and linguistic capabilities in provider directories. This change will improve the quality and usability of provider directories, particularly for non-English speakers, limited English proficient individuals, and enrollees who use American Sign Language. Finally, CMS is requiring that MA organizations’ quality improvement programs include efforts to reduce disparities.  

Improving Access to Behavioral Health

CMS recognizes the importance of building strong MA behavioral health networks that improve timely access to services. CMS is finalizing policies strengthening network adequacy requirements and reaffirming MA organizations’ responsibilities to provide behavioral health services. Specifically, CMS will: (1) add Clinical Psychologists and Licensed Clinical Social Workers as specialty types for which we set network standards, and make these types eligible for the 10-percentage point telehealth credit; (2) amend general access to services standards to include explicitly behavioral health services; (3) codify standards for appointment wait times for primary care and behavioral health services; (4) clarify that emergency behavioral health services must not be subject to prior authorization; (5) require that MA organizations notify enrollees when the enrollee’s behavioral health or primary care provider(s) are dropped midyear from networks; and (6) require MA organizations to establish care coordination programs, including coordination of community, social, and behavioral health services to help move towards parity between behavioral health and physical health services and advance whole-person care.

Implementation of Certain Provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022

The final rule also makes changes to the Part C and D programs stemming from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 and the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), 2021.

Making Permanent: Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition (LI NET) Program

LI NET currently operates as a demonstration program that provides immediate and retroactive Part D coverage for eligible low-income beneficiaries who do not yet have prescription drug coverage. In this final rule, CMS is making the LI NET program a permanent part of Medicare Part D, as required by section 118 of the CAA.

Enhancing Financial Stability: Expanding Low-Income Subsidies Under Part D

CMS is finalizing regulations to expand eligibility for the full low-income subsidy (LIS) benefit (also known as “Extra Help”) to individuals with incomes up to 150% of the federal poverty level who meet eligibility criteria. Beginning January 1, 2024, this change will provide the full low-income subsidy to those who currently qualify for the partial subsidy. This implements section 11404 of the IRA and will improve access to affordable prescription drug coverage for approximately 300,000 low-income individuals with Medicare. 

Implementation of Certain Provisions of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021

Finally, the rule finalizes several changes stemming from federal laws related to the Part C and D programs—including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2021, and the Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) of 2018.

Source: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2024-medicare-advantage-and-part-d-final-rule-cms-4201-f 

 

 

Tags: Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, CMS, star ratings, Marketing

Come see PSM at the 2023 Medicarians Conference

Posted by www.psmbrokerage.com Admin on Thu, Apr 20, 2023 @ 11:13 AM

medicarians-1

WHAT IS MEDICARIANS

THE FUTURE OF SENIOR HEALTH, WEALTH, AND AGETECH
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image-png-Apr-20-2023-03-36-26-3518-PMMedicarians is the home of the product creators, distributors, provider networks, plan administrators, venture investors, and innovators helping the people live longer, better lives both physically, financially, and mentally. https://medicarians.com/ 

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Brokers, Agencies & Distribution Partners

•  Network with product owners and administrators in health, wealth, and aging
•  Develop partnerships with leading participants in the industry
•  See what tools and technology can accelerate your business

 Startups, AgeTech Innovators, and Technology Providers

•  Gain visibility into what the leading players in senior care and aging seek
•  Meet thought leaders and leave with deep insight into the forces shaping the industry
•  Understand the competitive landscape to position yourself for success
VENUE
MEDICARIANS 2023 WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE MGM GRAND HOTEL IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA.

The Medicarians hotel room block at the MGM Grand is now full. But, rooms are still available at the MGM Grand as well as The Signature at the current public rate.

 

Tags: Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, Professional Networking, CMS, star ratings, Marketing

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