The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) required the competition for Round 2 to occur in 2011 in 70 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and authorized competition for national mail-order items and services after 2010. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 expanded the number of Round 2 MSAs from 70 to 91 areas. MIPPA allows for the subdivision of MSAs with populations over 8 million into multiple competitive bidding areas (CBAs). Most Round 2 MSAs have only one CBA. However, the three largest MSAs (Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York) are subdivided into multiple CBAs, so there are a total of 100 CBAs in Round 2. Round 2 includes eight product categories.
For more information, please visit the Medicare website at www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.