CMS delays health plan star ratings from 2017 to 2018 open enrollment period
Delay will give CMS additional time to test how star ratings are displayed on Healthcare.gov, CMS says.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is delaying the quality star ratings of health plans on the federally-facilitated marketplace and state-based marketplaces that use the federal platform, from 2017 to the open enrollment period for 2018, the agency announced Thursday.
The exception will be a limited pilot program that will be in place for 2017, CMS said.
The delay will give CMS additional time to conduct focused consumer testing of how the star ratings are displayed on Healthcare.gov.
CMS said it does not anticipate major changes to the qualified rating system methodology for the 2018 plan year.
Insurers can take the additional time to measure and improve the quality of their plans offered through the marketplaces, CMS said.
[Also: CMS to test pairing 5-star care ratings with marketplace plans in next open enrollment]
State-based marketplaces whose consumers do not use Healthcare.gov may choose to display qualified health plan information on their websites for the 2017 open enrollment period, or to follow the revised timeframe, CMS said.
Marketplace issuers can use the agency's additional consumer testing results in integrating the star ratings into their website infrastructure, CMS said.
In 2016, CMS announced that the star ratings for qualified health plans offered through the marketplaces would be displayed in time for the open enrollment period for the 2017 plan year.
Thursday's announcement changes this date and also clarifies the continuing qualified health plan certification requirements for issuers to submit clinical measure and qualified health plan enrollee survey response data to CMS.
It also outlines the options for state-based marketplaces on the public display of the health plans and ratings.
[Also: CMS finalizes quality measures in support of MACRA]
The star ratings provide consumers with comparable information about the quality of healthcare services through survey data on enrollee experiences.
The star ratings provide health plan quality information on topics such as how well doctors coordinate with enrollees and other doctors to provide the best care, whether the plan's network providers give members care that achieves the best results, and how other enrollees rate their doctors and the care they receive, according to CMS.
Twitter: @SusanJMorse
