CMS Tells Health Plans Congress Will Prevent Medicare Rate Cut For Calendar Year 2014

In a letter to health plans, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) indicated that Congress will act to prevent a pending 25% cut in calendar year 2014 to Medicare physician reimbursements, as required by Medicare law. The letter, released April 1, 2013, was the final 2014 Medicare Advantage plan Rate Announcement and Call Letter. In preliminary guidance to health plans interested in submitting bids to operate Medicare Advantage plans (released in mid-February 2013), CMS instructed the plans that the plan growth rate percentage for 2014 would be negative 2.2%. This growth rate was based on . . .