Note: This article has been updated from its original January, 2024 publication date to reflect new information. 

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is pushing for more timely access to care under Medicare Advantage, or MA, and its 2024 Medicare Advantage Final Rule shows it. Provisions in the final rule, which took effect Jan. 1, include several intriguing new protections — and some clarifications of existing protections — aimed at preventing MA plans from creating barriers to medically necessary care.