The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act cleared the House Ways and Means Committee by a unanimous recorded vote of 42-0 on Wednesday, drawing widespread praise from healthcare advocates.
The bipartisan bill was introduced by Representatives Ami Bera, Mike Kelly, Suzan DelBene, and John Joyce, reflecting cross-party support for reforming Medicare Advantage prior authorisation rules.
A companion bill in the Senate was introduced by Senators Roger Marshall and Mark Warner, though that legislation has not yet advanced out of committee.
The legislation targets prior authorisation delays in Medicare Advantage by requiring standard requests to be completed within seven days and urgent requests within 72 hours.
Beyond timelines, the bill mandates a transition to an electronic prior authorisation process, which supporters say will reduce administrative burdens on physicians and healthcare providers.
Plans would also be required to publicly disclose prior authorisation information, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would be directed to assess real-time prior authorisation processes.
The American Medical Association welcomed the committee vote, with president Willie Underwood III issuing a statement praising the bipartisan result and calling for the legislation to be signed into law.
“Today’s unanimous vote reflects growing recognition that prior authorization, when misused, too often stands between patients and their physicians. The AMA applauds the committee’s action and will continue working with Congress to ensure this legislation becomes law,” Underwood said.
The American Hospital Association also backed the bill but urged lawmakers to restore the original January 1, 2028, deadline for Medicare Advantage plans to adopt a standard electronic prior authorisation process.
The hospital association expressed concern that the committee’s substitute amendment pushed that deadline back to January 1, 2029, and called on Congress to revert to the earlier implementation date.
The House Ways and Means Committee approved several additional healthcare measures alongside the prior authorisation bill during Wednesday’s session.
Among them was the Rural Patient Monitoring Access Act, which aims to improve Medicare reimbursement for remote patient monitoring services provided in rural areas.
The committee also passed the Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act, a bill designed to expand access to anesthesia services for patients in underserved rural communities.
The broad scope of Wednesday’s committee activity signals renewed legislative momentum around healthcare access and administrative reform heading into the next phase of Congressional debate.