CMS Considering New Regulations for Medicare Advantage
At a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, acting CMS Administrator Kerry Weems said the agency is considering new rules for providers of Medicare Advantage, CongressDaily reports. Weems said CMS is considering rules on how and where private insurance agents selling MA plans are able to communicate with beneficiaries and on how companies manage the commission (Johnson, CongressDaily, 2 / 13). BRBRWeems said CMS has taken steps to correct the abuses of the marketing plan for suppliers of MA, including a secret shopper program last year to ensure that plans were in compliance with marketing guidelines.He said that the initiative found 696 violations and a private fee for service plan was frozen in a marketing and enrollment during the annual open enrollment period
specified. Two providers of the plan were provided other remedial action plans, Weems said.The legislative response of the Finance Committee, Max Baucus, Chairman (D-Mont.) and other members of the audience asked Weems, so states have more authority over MA plans, say the insurance commissioners state more firsthand knowledge of the abuses of the program and can act quickly to stop. Weems said CMS and related information, the states of MA plans, but to grant States authority MA would be difficult to manage and different regulations between states, it would be difficult for suppliers to MA plans by proposing limits State (Carey, CQ HealthBeat, 13.02).Baucus also asked about whether the agency plans to prohibit Weems house marketing and sales tactics AD. Weems said: I will
not say ... going to completely ban the marketing at home and said, we consider a series of things.BRBRBaucus said he intended to include new restrictions on MA private plans in Medicare legislation also would stop a 10% to physician payment for Medicare. BRBRSen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) said CMS should provide more data on MA plans, which are paid on average 12% more than traditional Medicare.She said: The government is Pages: [1] 2