July 26, 2023
The Honorable Jason Smith | The Honorable Richard Neal |
Chairman | Ranking Member |
Ways and Means Commitee | Ways and Means Commitee |
1102 Longworth House Office Building | 1102 Longworth House Office Building |
Washington, DC 20515 | Washington, DC 20515 |
Subject: Inclusion of Prior Authorization Provisions in Health Care Price Transparency Act
Dear Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Neal,
On behalf of the Regulatory Relief Coalition (RRC), a coalion of naonal physician specialty organizations seeking to reduce regulatory burdens that interfere with patient care, we are pleased to see that the House Commitee on Ways and Means is considering legislation that incorporates the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (“Seniors” Act).
We greatly appreciate your commitee’s stalwart efforts to ensure that Medicare Advantage (MA) policies are not a barrier to mely and equitable access to care for the patients our members serve. The RRC also applauds the leadership, insight, and tenacity of Ways and Means Commitee members, Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Suzan DelBene (D-WA) for advancing this legislation.
The RRC is a leading advocate for reforming prior authorization (PA) in the MA program on behalf of the more than 28 million seniors enrolled in MA plans and the physicians who care for them. Along with the RRC, more than 500 organizations representing patients, health care physicians and other clinicians, the medical technology and biopharmaceutical industry, health plans, and other organizations endorsed the “Seniors” Act in the previous session. The legislation finished the 117th Congress with 380 combined co-sponsors — 53 senators and 327 representatives. It is time for this bill to become the law of the land.