Risk Adjustment, UM Practices Would Be Likely Targets if Lawmakers Pursue MA

January 4

With the recent filings of two proposed class action lawsuits against major Medicare Advantage insurers’ use of a computer algorithm to deny patient care, upcoming CMS audits of MA plans’ utilization management (UM) tactics and progressive lawmakers’ push for CMS to collect more data on coverage denials, the MA program is starting the year off under a microscope. And while major new policy developments are unlikely to come out of a split Congress this year, industry experts agree that prior authorization — along with risk adjustment and coding intensity — will continue to garner attention from lawmakers and regulators.

HealthScape Advisors Principal Cary Badger and Managing Director Alexis Seeder Levy point to three possible scenarios to watch for in 2024:

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Radar on Medicare Advantage

Lauren Flynn Kelly Managing Editor, Radar on Medicare Advantage

Lauren has been covering health business issues since the early 2000s and specializes in in-depth reporting on Medicare Advantage, managed Medicaid and Medicare Part D. She also possesses a deep understanding of the complex world of pharmacy benefit management, having written AIS Health’s Radar on Drug Benefits from 2004 to 2005 and again from 2011 to 2016. In addition to her role as managing editor of Radar on Medicare Advantage, she oversees AIS Health’s publications and manages the health editorial staff. She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in English.