Congressional Prior Auth Champions Welcome New CMS Regulations

New requirements mirror bipartisan legislation authored by lawmakers to help get seniors the care they deserve faster, address provider administrative burden

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (KS), Sherrod Brown (OH), John Thune (SD), and Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) and Representatives Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Mike Kelly (PA-16), Ami Bera, MD (CA-06), and Larry Bucshon, MD (IN-08) issued the following statement on CMS’ long-awaited prior authorization regulations:  

“Today’s action by CMS is a major win for seniors and their families. These new protections will make a big difference in helping seniors access the medical care they are entitled to without unnecessary delays and denials due to prior authorization. This will also enable health care providers to focus on delivering better care rather than wasting hours on the phone with insurance companies. While CMS could have gone further, these changes will help bring the antiquated prior authorization system into the 21^st century with commonsense changes like a streamlined approval process and increased transparency.

“Now, Congress must act to cement these gains into law by passing the overwhelmingly bipartisan, bicameral Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act to ensure seniors are getting the care they’re entitled to and reduce hours of unnecessary burden for physical practices and hospitals.”

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