Dive Brief:
- Though CMS has reversed its proposed payment cuts to Medicare Advantage, health plans aren't showing the agency a lot of support.
- Last week, CMS announced that health plans would see 0.4% increase in payments, a bit higher than what insurers requested.
- Still, participants like Aetna and Humana still expect to see Medicare Advantage rates fall in 2015.
Dive Insight:
Among other fallout from the increase in payment, FierceHealthPayer reports, three Southern Republican governors wrote a letter slamming CMS' increase, blasting it as "little more than political theater." Meanwhile, Medicare Advantage continues to grow, increasing 9% each year since 2012, when Medicare cuts began. And CMS contends that Medicare Advantage will continue to be a strong program regardless of the bickering.