From CMS increasing its oversight on celebrity sales pitches to the advancing of a prior authorization reform bill, here are seven Medicare Advantage stories Becker's has reported since July 20:
1. CMS has toughened its oversight on celebrity Medicare Advantage sales pitches following a surge of complaints last year, The Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 31.
2. Medicare Advantage plans are expected to make up half of all Medicare enrollment by 2026, with the national average currently at 45.5 percent. Some states, however, are lagging behind the rest of the country. Becker's spoke with three payers in some of the states with the lowest enrollments to see what direction they are going with Medicare Advantage plans.
3. UnitedHealthcare and Humana account for 46 percent of the 28.4 million people enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans in 2022, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
4. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden launched a probe into potentially deceptive marketing tactics used by Medicare Advantage plans. Mr. Wyden sent letters to 15 state insurance commissioners and state health insurance assistance programs on Aug. 18 requesting data regarding Medicare Advantage complaints and other information.
5. Overall member satisfaction with Medicare Advantage plans has risen steadily over the past few years, but most members say their plan doesn't provide enough coverage for mental and behavioral services, according to J.D. Power's 2022 U.S. Medicare Advantage study published Aug. 18.
6. The House Committee on Ways and Means on July 27 advanced a bill to reform the Medicare Advantage prior authorization process. The bill is expected to go before the full House for a vote this fall.
7. The Better Medicare Alliance released its 2022 "State of Medicare Advantage Report" on July 20, and it included a ranking of states by Medicare Advantage enrollment as a percentage of overall Medicare enrollment.