The 2020 Rate Notice and Call Letter for the MA and Prescription Drug Programs details what plans and consumers can expect for the upcoming plan benefit year. In addition to updating payment methodologies and rates, it finalizes policies to address the opioid epidemic and provides guidance on how MA plans can tailor supplemental benefits to improve or maintain the health of an enrollee with a chronic condition or illness, such as by providing meals or transportation for non-medical needs. In 2017, about 25 percent of rural Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan and about 70 percent enrolled in a Prescription Drug plan, through either their MA plan or a stand-alone drug plan.
