Hirono, Colleagues Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Seniors’ Access to Care

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and 44 colleagues in reintroducing the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act,  bipartisan legislation to improve access to care for seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. The legislation focuses on streamlining the often cumbersome and time-consuming prior authorization process, ultimately allowing healthcare providers to spend more time on patient care rather than administrative burdens. In Hawaii, 305,000 residents are enrolled in Medicare, with about 53% people enrolled in MA plans.

“Seniors with Medicare Advantage plans should not have to endure unnecessary delays when seeking medical treatment, and sometimes even life-saving care,” Senator Hirono said. “This legislation will help to reduce these arbitrary waiting periods, streamlining prior authorization processes to ensure that health care providers can treat and care for their patients in an efficient manner.”

The Improving Seniors’ Access to Care Act would help to improve the prior authorization process at no cost to American taxpayers by:

• Establishing an electronic prior authorization process for Medicare Advantage plans, including a standardization for transactions and clinical attachments;
• Increasing transparency around Medicare Advantage prior authorization requirements and their use;
• Clarifying HHS’ authority to establish timeframes for e-prior authorization requests, including expedited determinations, real-time decisions for routinely approved items and services, and other prior authorization requests;
• Expanding beneficiary protections to improve enrollee experiences and outcomes; and
• Requiring HHS and other agencies to report to Congress on program integrity efforts and other ways to further improve the e-prior authorization process.

This legislation is supported by the Better Medicare Alliance, Humana, and 138 other health care organizations.

In addition to Senators Hirono, Warner, and Marshall, this legislation was cosponsored by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), John Boozman (R-AK), Ted Budd (R-NC), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Chris Coons (D-DE), John Cornyn (R-TX), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), James Lankford (R-OK), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Rick Scott (R-FL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Ami Bera (D-CA), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), John Joyce (R-PA), and Mike Kelly (R-PA).

The full text of the bill is available here.

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