On April 7, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Medicare Advantage (MA) Capitation Rates and Part C and Part D Payment Policies. The final CY 2026 Rate Announcement included a 5.06% rate increase for MA plans, an increase of 2.83% from the 2026 Advance Notice.
This announcement follows the 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly final rule. The rule addresses MA appeals loopholes, risk adjustment data updates, and improvements for dually eligible enrollees, but did not finalize proposals for establishing guardrails for artificial intelligence (AI), among other policies.