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Articles by Maulik Bhagat

Maulik is based out of AArete’s London office and leads AArete’s Digital and Data Services as well as International Business. Overall, Maulik comes with over 15 years of experience in Operational and Management Consulting across multiple industries working with Ernst & Young, Protiviti Consulting and Huron Consulting. He has experience leading large consulting engagements for clients delivering measurable bottom line improvement, digitally enabled process efficiencies and organizational change, through fact-based data intensive analysis combined with domain expertise. Maulik holds a Master of Business Administration degree from S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), a Bachelor in Accounting and Finance from Mumbai University, and is a Certified Information Systems Auditor and a Six Sigma Green Belt. He is a published author and quoted industry expert in Managed Healthcare Executive, Chain Drug Review, ThinkAdvisor, American Pharmacists Association and Chain Store Age.

How Medicare Advantage Plans Can Thrive Despite CMS’s Proposed Minimal Rate Increase

CMS recently released its Calendar Year 2027 Advance Notice and it’s changing how Medicare Advantage plans think about growth as a long-term strategy. The proposed increase to plan payments is only 0.09%, a stark contrast to last year’s 5.1%.  For plans already facing cost constraints, this negligible increase means that enrollment growth alone won’t deliver profitability and sustainability gains. Plans need to reduce administrative expenses, strategically design benefits to attract balanced member mixes, and address high-cost areas of business operations.