Last week, CMS issued the first final rule for MA and Part D plan changes for 2021. The agency will issue a second final rule later this year. This first rule focuses on immediate regulatory actions for the contract year 2021 bid deadline in June, codifying several existing policies, and implementing other technical changes. The changes include reducing the required percentage of beneficiaries that must reside within the maximum time and distance standards for plans operating in rural counties and providing MA plans with a credit towards this percentage of beneficiaries when plans contract with specified specialty and primary care telehealth providers.
