Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Monday announced a 1.66% average increase for 2021 Medicare Advantage (MA) rates. This was higher than the proposed rate of 0.93%, but less than the increase MA plans received in 2020.

CMS has waived rules to allow historic expansion of telehealth services and relaxed reporting requirements for the Quality Payment Program. Now a new announcement has brought more of the same, including a promise to provide “maximum flexibility” to make sure health systems have “continuous and predictable payments.”