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  • Medicare Advantage Insurers Deny Prior Authorization Requests for Post Acute Care at Substantially Higher Rates Than the Overall Denial Rate

    Policy Watch

    Two recent reports find that Medicare Advantage organizations deny prior authorization requests for long-term care hospital, inpatient rehabilitation hospital, and skilled nursing facility stays at higher rates than requests overall. When these decisions are appealed, they are frequently overturned, particularly for skilled nursing facility stays. This may cause delays for Medicare beneficiaries who are particularly vulnerable or have high care needs.

  • Decoding Medicare Advantage Coding Intensity

    Issue Brief

    Federal payments to Medicare Advantage plans, and adjustments for health status, have come under increased scrutiny. This brief answers key questions about coding intensity, recent steps taken by CMS, the effects on beneficiaries, and other proposals to improve payment accuracy.

  • How Medicare Advantage Rebates Disadvantage Medicare’s Stand-Alone Drug Plan Market

    Issue Brief

    The private plans that offer the Medicare Part D benefit - stand-alone drug plans and Medicare Advantage drug plans - are increasingly are competing on uneven terms, in part because the payment system for Medicare Advantage plans enables them to lower Part D premiums or reduce Part D cost sharing, making drug coverage from Medicare Advantage plans appear considerably cheaper, or even premium-free, to the beneficiary. This brief discusses the growing instability of the Part…

  • Medicare Part D Enrollment, Premiums, and Cost Sharing in 2026

    Issue Brief

    The Medicare Part D program provides an outpatient prescription drug benefit to 56 million older adults and people with long-term disabilities in Medicare who enroll in private plans. This brief analyzes Medicare Part D enrollment, premiums, and cost sharing in 2026 and trends over time, based on data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

  • Medicare Advantage in 2026: Enrollment Update and Key Trends

    Issue Brief

    More than half (55%) of eligible Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage in 2026. To better understand trends in the growth of the Medicare Advantage program, this brief provides current information about enrollment, including by plan type and firm

  • Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program Enhance Some Consumer Protections But Roll Back Others

    Issue Brief

    CMS recently finalized policies as part of the 2027 Medicare Advantage final rule that both enhance consumer protections and roll back changes to the Medicare Advantage program that were intended to protect consumers. These changes have gotten less attention than payment issues and changes to the star ratings system, which also affect plan payments, but could have implications for Medicare beneficiaries.