Radar on Medicare Advantage

In its annual release of the Medicare Part D payment benchmarks and other bid-related information for the coming plan year, CMS on July 29 reported that the national average monthly bid amount will continue a years-long downward trend, dropping to a historic low of $34.71. At the same time, monthly premiums are expected to take a slight dip. While both pieces of information — released by CMS in an effort to help Part D sponsors finalize their premiums and prepare for open enrollment this fall — reflect positive trends and a competitive market, upcoming changes included in the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 could start to reverse those trends in the future.

The national average monthly bid amount is a weighted average of the standardized bid amounts for each stand-alone Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) and Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plan. Bids were submitted by PDPs and MA-PD plans in early June. CMS said it anticipates releasing the 2023 premium and cost-sharing information for 2023 Medicare Advantage and Part D plans in September.

Despite a challenge earlier this year to its longstanding pact with Mississippi Medicaid, Centene Corp. on Aug. 10 said its Magnolia Health Plan subsidiary was selected to continue serving the Mississippi Coordinated Access Network (MississippiCAN) and the Mississippi Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Meanwhile, the state’s Division of Medicaid (DOM) unveiled its intent to award new four-year contracts to two other insurers, including new entrant and CareSource affiliate TrueCare, which will bump leading managed care organization UnitedHealthcare out of the market.

Centene over the past year has reached multiple settlements with states regarding its handling of Medicaid pharmacy benefits. In June 2021, the health care giant agreed to pay $55.5 million to Mississippi after a 2019 investigation by the Office of the State Auditor concluded Centene’s pharmacy benefit manager was overbilling the state. 

Individual Medicare Advantage enrollment this month surpassed 24.7 million lives, reflecting 9.3% membership growth since last August, according to a Barclays analysis of CMS’s latest monthly enrollment report. The publicly traded MCOs saw year-over-year individual MA membership grow by 10.5%, with Centene Corp. and CVS Health Corp.’s Aetna delivering double-digit enrollment gains, according to the analysis. Cigna Corp., however, underperformed with a year-over-year membership decline of 5.5%, observed Barclays. CMS’s August data release reflects enrollments accepted through July 8.

Highmark Wholecare has partnered with Posit Science to incorporate “brain fitness” into a program aimed at reducing vulnerable members’ risk of falling and improving balance. Highmark Wholecare, formerly Gateway Health, will offer BrainHQ exercises and services to approximately 7,000 qualifying members who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid and identified as a high risk for falls. BrainHQ’s evidence-based brain fitness program is available via web or mobile phone and is supported by more than 200 peer-reviewed studies, according to an Aug. 15 press release from the partners.