Health Payer Specialist, “CMS Risks Contradicting Itself on Medicare Strategy,” quotes Henry Norwood, Esq., 4-10-26

Kaufman Dolowich’s Henry Norwood, San Francisco Of Counsel, is quoted in Health Payer Specialist in an article examining Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2027 Medicare Advantage rate announcement and the tension between cost containment and efforts to expand program enrollment.

The article notes that CMS approved a relatively modest 2.48% rate increase for 2027 while continuing to explore policies that could further increase Medicare Advantage enrollment, raising questions about whether the agency can simultaneously control costs in a program that is more expensive than traditional fee-for-service Medicare. It also describes a potential two-pronged approach in which CMS seeks to expand participation in risk-based arrangements while increasing scrutiny of risk adjustment and potential fraud.

Medicare Advantage, which provides payers with a capitated payment per enrollee, is considered a risk-based model. Mr. Norwood observed that this shift aligns in many ways with a broader policy approach favoring greater reliance on private market participants rather than direct government administration.

Read more here: Health Payer Specialist – CMS Risks Contradicting Itself on Medicare Strategy