Report: Data Brief on Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI) in Plan Year 2021

Now entering their second year, Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI) have grown exponentially. Data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reveal that a larger share of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, as well as Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs), are now offering SSBCI. The number of MA plans offering SSBCI has increased from 267 plans in Plan Year 2020 to 942 plans in Plan Year 2021. While this increase is partially driven by large insurers offering SSBCI across more of their plans, we are also seeing smaller and regional MAOs choosing to offer SSBCI, some for the first time, in 2021.