Given the average age of diagnosis for CLL, CLL Society is well aware of the ever increasing enrollment in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. In just ten years, overall Medicare beneficiary enrollment has gone from 31% to 54% and is expected to reach 64% in the next decade. We have been carefully monitoring the quality of these plans for our patients. A recent government report cited substantial overpayment to MA plans, with much of the increased spending benefiting the insurers rather than patients. The report also recognized that the plans are structured in a way that creates financial incentives for the insurers to restrict care and provide inadequate provider networks.
CLL patients’ health outcomes are dependent on provider networks including disease-specific experts, many of whom practice within designated cancer centers and academic medical centers. Finding the right specialist may well impact how long our patients live and how well they do. CLL Society shared recent data on survival correlating to appropriate experts, and asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to address inadequate networks of providers in MA plans. Read the letter below.
