House Passes Bill to Improve Prior Authorization in Medicare Advantage
September 19, 2022
The House of Representatives has approved H.R. 3173, the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, which if passed by the Senate and signed into law, will reduce the use of prior authorization by Medicare Advantage (MA) plans to inappropriately delay or deny access to needed care, including audiology and speech-language pathology services.
The ASHA-supported bill simplifies the prior authorization process by:
- requiring MA plans to accept requests electronically,
- mandating real-time decisions for routinely approved services, and
- requiring Medicare Advantage plans to provide more detailed information on coverage decisions.
A report from the Office of Inspector General within the Department of Health and Human Services identified a pattern of “delayed or denied Medicare Advantage beneficiaries’ access to services, even though the requests met Medicare coverage rules.”
ASHA continues to build support for enactment of the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act. Take action now to urge your Senators to support this important legislation.
Questions?
Contact Josh Krantz, ASHA’s director of federal affairs, health care, at jkrantz@asha.org.
