MMA Signs on to Bill to Ease Senior Access to Care

December 11, 2025

The MMA, along with other state medical associations and 75 specialty societies, signed on to a letter to Congressional leaders urging passage of the “Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025.” 

The bipartisan legislation streamlines and standardizes prior authorization requirements within the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. 

“The (legislation) provides numerous solutions to the multi-faceted problem of prior authorization,” the letter states. “It would require MA plans to implement an electronic prior authorization system that meets federal interoperability standards." 

The bill also calls for: 

• simplifying and accelerating prior authorization decisions by requiring a standard electronic process that integrates with physicians’ electronic health records; 

• promoting transparency by requiring public reporting of approval and denial data and disclosure of any use of artificial intelligence or algorithmic tools in coverage determinations; 

• outlining a process for defining routinely approved care and gives CMS explicit authority to implement tighter deadlines for approving items and services, such as 24 hours for urgent care; and 

• directing plans to base requirements on evidence-based criteria and to review those requirements annually to eliminate unnecessary barriers to care.