The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Feb. 22 issued the advance notice of changes in methods that will be used to calculate Medicare Advantage (MA) capitation rates for payments to MA organizations for 2009. The notice also announces the policies for payments to organizations offering the Medicare prescription drug benefit. The notice includes the preliminary growth trend that affects payment rates for Medicare Advantage plans, along with other technical updates on the calculations affecting payments to Medicare Advantage health plans and Part D prescription drug plan sponsors.
Technical adjustments announced in the notice include a preliminary estimate of a 4.8 percent increase in the national per capita MA growth percentage. Also, the final capitation rates for each county will be announced in a rate announcement scheduled for publication on April 7, 2008. The county capitation rates define the upper limit for payments to MA health plans. Read the advance notice.
