CMS Finalizes MA Rule Provisions, Delays Pharmacy DIR Change

Just a month shy of the bid deadline for the 2023 plan year, CMS on April 29 finalized most provisions of a sweeping Medicare Advantage and Part D rule that was proposed in January. Those provisions included restoring detailed medical loss ratio (MLR) reporting requirements, requiring MA Special Needs Plans to incorporate certain questions on social risk factors into health risk assessments, and finalizing a pathway to allow for star ratings to reflect a Dual Eligible SNP’s local performance. But one Part D provision regarding pharmacy direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) was notably delayed, allowing plans, pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers time to renegotiate pharmacy pacts. 

“Generally speaking, the rule wasn’t surprising. CMS largely did what they proposed. I think the major concession that plans and PBMs were concerned about was the start date of the pharmacy DIR change, and they had that addressed. But by and large this rule was consistent with CMS’s goals of raising the bar for what it means to be a SNP and for reducing costs at point of sale for seniors” starting in 2024, says Tom Kornfield, senior consultant with Avalere.