2026-04593NoticeWallet

NCQA's Medicare Plan Checks Get Renewal Nod from CMS

Published Date: 3/10/2026

Notice

Summary

CMS is thinking about renewing the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) special approval to check Medicare Advantage health plans like HMOs and PPOs. This means NCQA can keep making sure these plans meet Medicare’s rules, helping millions of people get good care. If you want to share your thoughts, you’ve got until April 9, 2026, to speak up!

Analyzed Economic Effects

2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.

NCQA May Keep Deeming Medicare Advantage Plans

CMS is considering renewing the National Committee for Quality Assurance's (NCQA) authority to 'deem' Medicare Advantage HMOs and PPOs. NCQA submitted its renewal application on December 19, 2025, and its prior approval ran from December 30, 2020 to December 30, 2026. If approved, NCQA could continue granting 'deemed' status for the following areas: Quality Improvement; Anti-Discrimination; Confidentiality and Accuracy of Enrollee Records; Information on Advance Directives; and Provider Participation Rules.

Some Areas Not Eligible for Deeming

CMS states it does not recognize accreditation for Access to Services (see 42 CFR 422.156(b)(3)) or the Part D areas of review (see 42 CFR 423.165(b)) as part of the Medicare Advantage deeming program. That means accreditation by a CMS-approved organization would not provide 'deemed' status for those two areas.

Your PRIA Score

Score Hidden

Personalized for You

How does this regulation affect your finances?

Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this federal register document and every other regulation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to start

Key Dates

Published Date
Comments Due
3/10/2026
4/9/2026

Department and Agencies

Department
Independent Agency
Agency
Health and Human Services Department
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Source: View HTML

Related Federal Register Documents

Previous / Next Documents

Back to Federal Register

Take It Personal

Get Your Personalized Policy View

Start a Free Government Policy Watch to see how policy affects your household, then upgrade to PRIA Full Coverage for year-round monitoring.

Already have an account? Sign in