Contact your congressional lawmakers and ask them to support the Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act (H.R. 3514 / S. 1816) and encourage the bill's passage this year. 

The legislation tackles the overuse and abuse of PA by Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, which threatens access to medically-necessary care and increases provider administrative burden. The bill would codify and enhance elements of the Advancing Interoperability and Improving Prior Authorization Processes rule that was finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Jan. 17, 2024.

Specifically, the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (H.R. 3514 / S. 1816) would:

• Establish an electronic prior authorization process for MA plans, including a standardization for transactions and clinical attachments.
• Increase transparency around MA prior authorization requirements and their use.
• Provide a pathway for CMS to institute real-time decisions for routinely approved items and services in the future and clarify CMS’ authority to establish timeframes for e-PA requests, including expedited determinations, real-time decisions for routinely approved items and services and any other PA request.
• Expand beneficiary protections to improve enrollee experiences and outcomes.
• Require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies to report to Congress on program integrity efforts and other ways to improve the e-PA process.

Lawmakers need to hear from you, their constituents, about why the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act needs to be passed and enacted into law this year.