House Ways and Means Committee Advances the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act

Washington, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) issued a statement following the House Ways and Means Committee markup of a large health care package which included his bipartisan, bicameral legislation, the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act. Senator Marshall’s legislation, which would improve timely access to medical services, is most popular health care bill in the entire Congress with 380 cosponsors in the House and Senate and endorsements from over 500 organizations representing patients, health care providers, insurers, and manufacturers in the medical industry. 

“Prior authorization is the number one administrative hurdle for health care providers. I can personally speak to these challenges as a practicing physician of nearly 30 years going through unnecessary hurdles to provide timely access to care to my patients. I commend the efforts of the House Ways and Means Committee for investing in our legislation along with other patient-centered reforms in this cost-effective package. My bipartisan, bicameral co-leads and I will continue to work towards advancing the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act to the finish line in Congress and through federal health agencies.” 

The bipartisan, bicameral legislation would improve access to quality care for seniors under Medicare Advantage. Specifically, it would modernize how Medicare Advantage plans and health care providers use prior authorization by establishing an electronic program and expanding patient protections. Other leading authors of the bill include U.S. Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), John Thune (R-SD), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and U.S. Representatives Mike Kelly (R-PA), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Larry Bucshon, M.D. (R-IN), Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA). 

The Senate and House bill sponsors continue to work on advancing the legislation by addressing scoring issues raised by the Congressional Budget Office. More recently, the sponsors sent letters to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services urging them to finalize a set of proposed rules that would assist in implementing their legislation. They were joined by the majority of Congress in the House and Senate, totaling 61 Senators and 233 Representatives.