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Announcements

Check this page often for news about important program updates, training opportunities, and educational information.
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Reminder: Post-Reconciliation Discrepancy Disclosure

CMS’ Retiree Drug Subsidy (RDS) Center would like to remind the Plan Sponsor community that, pursuant to 42 C.F.R. § 423.888, RDS subsidy payment “is conditioned on provision of accurate information.” If a Plan Sponsor discovers after, completion of Reconciliation for an application, that it agreed to inaccurate retiree and/or cost data, that Plan Sponsor must report the discrepancy to CMS’ RDS Center.

4/19/24 – 4/20/24 System Maintenance Notification

CMS' RDS Center will be performing system maintenance on the RDS Secure Website on Friday, April 19, 2024, beginning at 9:00PM ET and concluding Saturday, April 20, 2024, at 10:00AM ET.

Cost Threshold and Cost Limit Amounts for Plan Years Ending in 2025, and the Parameters for Medicare Part D Plans in 2025

On April 1, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the Cost Threshold and Cost Limit amounts that apply to Plan Sponsors participating in CMS' Retiree Drug Subsidy (RDS) Program, with qualified prescription drug plans that end in 2025, as well as the parameters for Medicare Part D plans in 2025. Pursuant to 42 CFR 423.886(b)(3), the cost threshold and cost limit for qualified retiree prescription drug plans are updated using the Annual Percentage Increase.

The 2025 Cost Threshold and Cost Limit amounts are as follows:

New Guidance Published for RDS Payments Placed on Hold

CMS’ RDS Center would like to remind the Plan Sponsor community that, pursuant to 42 C.F.R. 423.888, there are multiple scenarios during the Payment Validation process that can delay or stop a payment request from being processed.

Coming Soon! Updated Guidance for RDS Payments Placed on Hold

CMS’ RDS Center would like to remind the Plan Sponsor community that, pursuant to §423.888, there are multiple scenarios during the Payment Validation process that can delay or stop a payment request from being processed.

Changes to RDS Secure Website Password Rules

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Retiree Drug Subsidy (RDS) Program has changed our policy regarding RDS Secure Website user account password resets. To give users more flexibility to manage user accounts and avoid inconvenience caused by locked user accounts, CMS’ RDS Center has increased the number of password resets allowed each day.

Interim Sequestration Starts Now!

Beginning with costs incurred in January 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Retiree Drug Subsidy (RDS) Program will implement an update to the program’s sequestration policy, whereby the mandatory payment reduction will be applied at each interim payment request and the Reconciliation final payment request.

Coming Next Week – Changes to the Mandatory Payment Reduction in CMS’ RDS Payments

Beginning with costs incurred in January 2024, CMS’ RDS Center will implement an update to the sequestration policy, whereby the mandatory two percent (2%) payment reduction will be applied at each interim payment request rather than applying the reduction only to the final payment.

New Secure Website Feature – Text (SMS) Message for User Account Management

The CMS’ RDS Center would like to announce a new text (SMS) message feature has been added to improve the RDS Secure Website login process.

New Secure Website Feature - My RDS Email

A new “My RDS Email” feature is now live in the RDS Secure Website. The My RDS Email page displays the history of email sent to you by CMS’ RDS Center.