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This final rule is necessary to revise the Medicare Advantage (Part C), Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Part D), and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) regulations to implement changes related to Star Ratings, medication therapy management, marketing and communications, health equity, provider directories, prior authorization, passive enrollment, network adequacy, identification of overpayments, formulary changes, and other programmatic areas. This final rule also codifies regulations implementing section 118 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and includes a large number of provisions that codify existing sub-regulatory guidance in the Part C, Part D, and PACE programs. This final rule also amends the existing regulations for Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D regarding the standard for an identified overpayment. Additionally, this rule addresses multiple sections of the Social Security Act, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act, and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

Overall Description of Deadline: Per the CMS notice published December 30, 2004 (69 FR 78442), except for certain Medicare payment regulations and certain other statutorily-mandated regulations, we schedule all Medicare final regulations for publication within the 3-year standardized time limit in the current Unified Agenda. We do not intend to delay publishing a Medicare final regulation for 3 years if we are able to publish it sooner.