As a Medicare health plan, Health New England Medicare Advantage covers all services required by Original Medicare. We only make mid-year benefit changes when Medicare changes its coverage rules. When this happens, Medicare issues a National Coverage Determination (NCD) explaining whether Medicare will pay for an item or service. Below are the recent changes this year:<\/p>\n
Screening for Colorectal Cancer – Blood-Based Biomarker Tests \u2013 Effective January 19, 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has determined that the evidence is sufficient to cover a blood-based biomarker test as an appropriate colorectal cancer screening test once every 3 years for Medicare beneficiaries when performed in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA)-certified laboratory, when ordered by a treating physician. Learn more at https:\/\/www.cms.gov\/medicare-coverage-database\/details\/nca-decision-memo.aspx?NCAId=299<\/a>.<\/p>\n Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER)\/Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair (TMVR)(CAG- 00438R) \u2013 Effective January 19, 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n For clarity, the term Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair (TMVR) is being replaced with mitral valve Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER) to more precisely define the treatment addressed<\/p>\n in this proposed NCD, which is applicable to TEER for the treatment of functional mitral regurgitation (MR) and degenerative MR. Learn more at https:\/\/www.cms.gov\/medicare- coverage-database\/details\/nca-decision-memo.aspx?NCAId=297<\/a>.<\/p>\n