The government must stop relying on faulty analyses of Medicare Advantage

The government must stop relying on faulty analyses of Medicare Advantage

Medicare beneficiaries have escaped the jaws of the wolf but are not out of the woods yet. On April 7, the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services announced that seniors will be able to keep their Medicare Advantage plans. Launched two decades ago, Medicare Advantage plans give seniors the option of receiving their Medicare benefits from private plans, instead of from the government directly. Legacy Medicare, launched in 1965, is a complicate…

CMS Issues CY 2026 Medicare Advantage and Part D Final Rule

On April 4, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released the contract year (“CY”) 2026 final rule for the Medicare Advantage (“MA”) program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program (“Part D”), Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (the “Final Rule”). While CMS finalized several proposals of its Proposed Rule, it did not finalize many of its key proposals, including on anti-obesit…

Anti-Obesity Drugs Will Not be Covered by Medicare and Medicaid in 2026

On April 4, the Trump Administration announced that Medicare and Medicaid will not cover anti-obesity drugs, including the GLP-1 class of medications. Historically, Medicare is barred by statute from covering weight loss drugs, but as part of the 2026 proposed rule for Medicare Part D prescription plans, the Biden Administration planned to allow coverage of these drugs to all people with obesity on Medicare or Medicaid. The Trump Administration …