Executive Summary
By law, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission reports to the Congress each March on the Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) payment systems, the Medicare Advantage (MA) program, and the Medicare prescription drug program (Medicare Part D). In this year’s report, we:
- consider the context of the Medicare program, including the near-term consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and the longer-term effects of program spending on the federal budget and the program’s financial sustainability.
- evaluate payment adequacy and make recommendations concerning Medicare FFS payment policy in 2022 for acute care hospital, physician and other health professional, ambulatory surgical center, outpatient dialysis facility, skilled nursing facility, home health agency, inpatient rehabilitation facility, long-term care hospital, and hospice services.
- as mandated by the Congress, report on the expansion of the hospital post-acute care transfer policy to hospice.
- review the status of the MA program (Medicare Part C) through which beneficiaries can join private plans in lieu of traditional FFS Medicare.
- review the status of the Medicare program that provides prescription drug coverage (Medicare Part D).
- present an option for Medicare’s coverage of telehealth services after the coronavirus public health emergency (PHE).