| Medicare Advantage (MA) health plans provide health benefits to more than 18 million seniors and people with disabilities across the United States. As it sets payment rates for MA plans each year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) determines how much it will pay toward each plan through a process called “risk adjustment.” The sicker the patient population within a plan, the higher the payment that plan receives from CMS. In this way, the federal government helps protect patients who need care the most. ... |