The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed a series of provisions to follow through on President Biden’s commitment to build on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), expand health coverage access, and advance health equity. These provisions are the third installment of the payment notice for 2022.
- New Provisions: The proposed rule includes provisions that would extend the annual open enrollment period for 2022 by 30 days, create a new special enrollment period for certain low-income consumers, and expand the duties of federally-facilitated Exchange Navigators to provide additional assistance to consumers enrolling in plans.
- Exchange of options: The proposed rule would give exchanges the option of offering a new special enrollment period to provide additional opportunities for certain low-income consumers to access premium-free or low-cost coverage. It is available to them because of the enhanced advanced premium tax credit (APTC) provisions included in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
- Reaffirmation of commitment: “Homebound Medicare patients face a unique set of challenges and barriers to getting the care they need,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “Today’s announcement is a reaffirmation of our commitment to these older adults and people with disabilities who are counting on Medicare for the healthcare they need. This proposed rule would streamline service delivery and value quality over quantity – at a time when Americans need it most.”
- Improve in health: The proposed rule also seeks to improve the Home Health Quality Reporting Program by removing or replacing certain quality measures, with an eye toward reducing the burden and increasing focus on patient outcomes.
- Streamline operations: The proposed rule would enable CMS to collect and dedicate additional revenue to fund consumer outreach and education through modest increases in user fee rates for issuers in Federally-facilitated Exchange states and State-based Exchanges on the Federal platform. Several other provisions in the proposed rule would streamline operations for the Federally-facilitated Exchanges, health insurance issuers, and other stakeholders who facilitate access to coverage.