Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Announces Proposed Information Collection for Medicare Prescription Payment Plan

Introduction

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services formally published a notice in the Federal Register on November 5, 2026, detailing a proposed information collection activity titled CMS-10887. The action relates to the Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Programs, specifically focusing on system updates for the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan Program. Federal agencies must comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, which requires publishing notices in the Federal Register to invite public feedback on proposed data collections before submitting them to the Office of Management and Budget for final approval.

Regulatory Background and the Paperwork Reduction Act

The Paperwork Reduction Act establishes processes for federal agencies to minimize the paperwork burden on the public and ensure the maximum utility of information collected. Under this statute, agencies like CMS must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. Section 3506 of the act requires a sixty-day public comment period on proposed extensions or revisions of existing collections. This procedural step allows stakeholders, industry participants, and the public to evaluate whether the agency's data collection is necessary and to review the accuracy of estimated administrative burdens.

Details of the Proposed Information Collection

The specific collection under review involves revisions to a currently approved collection identified by Form Number CMS-10887 and OMB control number 0938-1468. Part D plans must report data elements related to the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan at the beneficiary, contract, and Plan Benefit Package levels. To satisfy monitoring requirements, plans must submit beneficiary-level data elements into the Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug system using a program-specific transaction separate from the standard enrollment file. Plans may submit multiple transaction files during any business day through the current calendar month. CMS estimates that the collection will involve 1,005 respondents, generate 1,200,000 total annual responses, and require approximately 4.8 annual hours.

Public Comment Process and Next Steps

Stakeholders and interested members of the public have until January 4, 2027, to submit formal comments on the proposed collection. Comments can be submitted electronically through the federal rulemaking portal or by mail to the CMS Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs. Following the close of the comment period, CMS will review the feedback and prepare the package for review by the Office of Management and Budget. The outcome of this process will dictate the final reporting obligations for participating private sector entities and not-for-profit institutions operating within the Medicare Part D framework.