On February 20, more than 200 organizations sent a letter to CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner imploring CMS to withdraw new proposed Medicare Part D regulations that, if finalized, would have “unintended consequences for seniors and beneficiaries with disabilities.”
In the letter, the organizations cite to four overarching issues with the proposed regulations:
- The rule would significantly reduce the number of plans from which beneficiaries could choose and affect beneficiaries’ Part D coverage, resulting in possible disruptions in care.
- The rule would expand the federal government’s role in the Part D program, which would not lead to better quality or affordability for patients.
- The rule would impose new costs that would result in higher premiums for many beneficiaries and increased costs to Medicare without an improvement in quality.
- The timing of the proposed rule creates uncertainty for many of the organizations because the organizations have already started planning for 2015. In addition, the organizations are also currently working to ensure a successful rollout of the health insurance exchanges, and the proposed rule would create an additional burden on the organizations.
As a result of the many consequences set forth in the letter, the organizations urge CMS to withdraw the proposed rule in a timely manner.
