Payment rates for Medicare+Choice managed care plans will increase by about 5.3% in most counties, HCFA announced. Payment rates in other counties will rise by the guaranteed minimum of 2%. 

The expected payment rates reflect the law's requirements, including recent changes included in the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 (BIPA) enacted last December. The new payment rates for 2001 and 2002 can be viewed on the HCFA Web site at:

For 2002 the floor amounts will be $553.04 for urban areas with populations of 250,000 or more. In other counties the floor amount will be $500.37. For the months of March through December 2001, the rates are $525 and $475 respectively.