– Comment by January 27. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that would revise the Medicare Advantage (MA) Program and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program (Part D). Proposals include permitting Medicare and Medicaid coverage of anti-obesity medications, further clarifications to the rules on what MA plans must cover, limits on enrollee cost-sharing for behavioral health, expanded topics that agents/brokers must cover when assisting beneficiaries, parameters around the use of debit cards for supplemental MA benefits, codifying requirements for the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, and integrating member identification cards for individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. As of January 2023, about 45 percent of rural Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in an MA plan.
