Two Major Changes in Medicare in 2022

Aside from the Medicare premiums increase ($170.10 in 2022, up $21.60 from the 2021 monthly charge) and higher deductibles ($233 in 2022, an increase of $30), two other significant changes are expected in 2022 for Medicare beneficiaries:

1) Enrollees in every state will be able to sign up for a Part D “enhanced” plan that is participating in a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) program that caps the cost of some insulins at $35 a month. The program began in 2021, but the number of plans available is expanding, with 2,159 Part D plans participating this year. Beneficiaries who are enrolled in original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan can sign up for this program.

2) Medicare is continuing to focus more attention on telehealth, especially during the pandemic. For 2022, the agency is increasing the availability of mental health services via telehealth. New features include providing certain mental and behavioral health services over the phone. CMS officials say this means counseling and therapy services, including the treatment of substance use disorders, will be more available, especially in areas where not everyone has access to broadband.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the gaps in our current healthcare system and the need for new solutions to bring treatments to patients, wherever they are,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “This is especially true for people who need behavioral health services, and the improvements we are enacting will give people greater access to telehealth and other care delivery options.”

Also in 2022, Medicare will pay for mental health visits outside of the rules governing the pandemic, which means mental health telehealth visits provided by rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers will be covered.