LeadingAge submitted comments February 13th on CMS’s proposed rule governing how Medicare Advantage, Special Needs Plans, Part D and PACE programs will operate in CY2024. While the comments cover a wide swath of topics as did the proposed rule, the majority of the comments honed in on members’ pain points – coverage determinations for traditional Medicare services, and prior authorizations. We asked for enhanced enforcement in these areas including suggesting a Confidential Provider Complaint Line for MA and standardizing the prior authorization form for traditional Medicare benefits to ease providers’ administrative burden and speed beneficiary access to services. While not directly addressed in the rule, we also highlighted the importance of safe discharges and noted MA plans should share some accountability PACE comments urged CMS to balance the imposition of additional regulatory burden with ongoing flexibility for providers, while keeping participant wishes at the center of service provision. To review all the comments, our letter can be found here.
