On Wednesday, June 12, 2024, the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (Seniors Act) (H.R. 8702/ S. 4532) was introduced in the House by Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Ami Bera, MD (D-CA), and Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN) and in the Senate by Sens. Roger Marshall (R-KS), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), John Thune (R-SD), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).
As legislative counsel to the Regulatory Relief Coalition (RRC), Powers Principal Peggy Tighe led efforts to propel introduction of this federal legislation to protect Medicare Advantage patients from unnecessary delays in care by streamlining and standardizing prior authorization in the program. Diane Millman, Powers principal and regulatory counsel for RRC, was integral in advising Congressional staff on the focus and legal underpinnings for the legislation. Tighe’s legislative teammates – Natalie Keller, Rebecca King, and Sarah Melone – helped bill champions gain 45 cosponsors in the Senate, 135 cosponsors in the House, and the more than 400 endorsements from state and national organizations prior to the bill’s introduction.
Peggy said, “We are honored to work with the Regulatory Relief Coalition (RRC), the lead organization comprised of national physician specialty organizations that are working with bill champions on this critically important legislation.” Summarizing RRC’s history on the bill, Tighe said, “RRC helped craft the legislation in 2018, moved it through committees and passage on the House floor in the last two Congresses, encouraged the Administration to finalize rules mirroring the legislation in January of this year, and is working in earnest to help Congress pass this bill this year.” She added, “This bipartisan, bicameral, non-controversial, and widely supported legislation is one of the most widely supported health care bills in the 116th Congress (2018-2020).”
Members and allies of the RRC are: American Academy of Dermatology Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Neurology, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American College of Cardiology, American College of Rheumatology, American College of Surgeons, American Gastroenterological Association, American Osteopathic Association, Association For Clinical Oncology, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Medical Group Management Association, National Association of Spine Specialists, American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association, The National Association for Proton Therapy, Premier Inc, and Select Medical.
To learn more about the Improving Seniors’ Access to Timely Care Act,
- Bill Text
- Section by Section Summary
- Redline with Comments
- RRC website (with link to endorse)
- Endorsement List