The Trump Administration has issued a number of new regulations affecting Medicare, private insurers, and beneficiaries. Deputy Director of Health Care Policy Tara O’Neill Hayes summarizes some of the key provisions in the various proposed and enacted regulations, which include:

• Loosening the uniformity rules in Medicare Advantage;
• Reducing Part D beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket costs;
• Allowing step-therapy in Part B; and
• Increasing risk-sharing in Medicare Accountable Care Organizations.

The administration is seeking to change Medicare through the regulatory process, writes Hayes, but because of the size and reach of Medicare, “the changes being implemented by [the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] are likely to have a broader impact beyond just the Medicare program and its beneficiaries.”

Continue reading here.