Law to improve rapid access to care for the elderly pass was unanimously removed from the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday, a decision that many health care advocates applaud.
Representatives Ami Bera (Democrat of California), Mike Kelly (Republican of Pennsylvania), Suzan DelBene (Democrat of Washington) and John Joyce (Republican of Pennsylvania) introduced the bill. Senators Roger Marshall (Republican of Kansas) and Mark Warner (Democrat of Virginia) have introduced a companion bill in the Senate, although it has not yet made it out of committee.
The Improving Timely Access to Care for Seniors Act affects prior authorization in Medicare Advantage by requiring that standard applications be completed within seven days and emergency applications be completed within 72 hours. It also moves to an electronic prior authorization process, requires plans to publicly disclose prior authorization information, requires CMS to evaluate prior authorization processes in real time and much more.
It passed the committee by a vote of 42 to 0. It now goes to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The American Health Care Association expressed support for the vote.
“The Improving Timely Access to Care for Seniors Act of 2025 builds on important progress in holding large Medicare Advantage insurers accountable for their prior authorization practices. Too many seniors face unnecessary delays when it comes to accessing the post-acute care they need,” said Clif Porter, president and CEO of the organization. “This bipartisan legislation helps improve transparency, ensuring that Medicare Advantage plans deliver on their promise to reduce these prior authorization burdens.”
The American Medical Association also applauded the Ways and Means Committee’s passage of the bill, saying it sends a message that more must be done to curb health plans’ “harmful prior authorization delays.”
“Today’s unanimous vote reflects a growing recognition that prior authorization, when misused, too often comes between patients and their doctors. The AMA applauds the committee’s action and will continue to work with Congress to ensure this legislation becomes law,” said Willie Underwood III, AMA President.
The American Hospital Association also expressed support for the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, but urged lawmakers to reinstate the original January 1, 2028 deadline for Medicare Advantage to consider adopting a standard electronic prior authorization process, rather than the January 1, 2029 deadline included in the committee’s replacement amendment.
The House Ways and Means Committee also passed several other health care bills, including the Rural Patient Monitoring Access Act, which would improve Medicare reimbursement for remote patient monitoring in rural areas, and the Medicare Rural Anesthesiology Access Act, which aims to expand access to anesthesia services in rural hospitals.
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