In an unusual move, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a second Calendar Year 2026 (CY26) Medicare Advantage (MA), Part D and Programs of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly final rule on September 19 in the Federal Register.

According to a CMS memorandum on the final rule, this addition to the previous CY26 final rule focuses on finalizing how MA plan provider directories will be formatted for inclusion in the Medicare Plan Finder in CY27.

Following an initial review, this additional component of Medicare Plan Finder fills an important gap in the plan finder and will help beneficiaries more easily evaluate whether their key health care providers are in-network with  MA plans they are considering for enrollment.

LeadingAge will review the latest final rule in its entirety.

CMS previously finalized an interim process using a third party vendor to populate the plan finder with MA plan provider directory information for CY26, which is separate from the content of this final rule.