The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today that the first improper payment rate for the Federally-facilitated Exchange (FFE) program was less than 1% for Benefit Year 2020, thanks in large part to the agency’s implementation of effective automated processes for the program’s eligibility determinations and payments. This finding highlights CMS’ commitment to being responsible stewards of public funds, and to ensuring the sustainability of its programs for future generations.
Improper payments are payments that do not meet CMS program requirements. These can be overpayments or underpayments, or payments where insufficient information was provided to determine whether a payment was proper. Most improper payments involve situations where a state or provider missed an administrative step. The vast majority of improper payments are not fraud, and improper payment estimates are not fraud rate estimates.
