As a member of the Regulatory Relief Coalition (RRC), APMA joined 18 national physician and health-care organizations in a letter urging continued reforms to improve transparency and reduce administrative burden in the Medicare Advantage (MA) prior authorization process. The letter was sent to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA.
MA plans issued nearly 50 million prior authorization determinations in 2023 (far exceeding traditional Medicare), and these requirements continue to delay care and strain provider practices. The coalition thanked CMS for recent steps toward greater accountability and encouraged further action to ensure seniors receive timely services that are medically necessary.
The letter also voiced support for the bipartisan Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care (Seniors') Act. The Seniors' Act would codify key elements of CMS' interoperability and prior authorization rule, which was finalized in January 2024. The bill has broad, bipartisan support from nearly 300 organizations and received a preliminary score of zero from the Congressional Budget Office.
In just a couple of minutes, you can do your part today and write Congress to support the Seniors' Act using APMA's eAdvocacy Center.
Read the full letter and all other APMA comment letters at apma.org/commentletters.