December 9, 2025 

Dear Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Thune, Minority Leader Schumer, and Leader Jeffries:

The undersigned physician organizations representing national medical specialty societies and state medical associations write in strong support of (H.R. 3514/S. 1816), the “Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025.” This bipartisan legislation would streamline and standardize prior authorization requirements within the Medicare Advantage (MA) program, addressing one of the most persistent barriers to timely, medically necessary care for America’s seniors.

Prior authorization continues to be a leading source of care delays and frustration for patients and physicians alike. It is a practice used by health plans to require pre-approval for coverage of items, services, and pharmaceuticals, often resulting in treatment delays, denials of medically necessary care, poorer patient health outcomes, and significant administrative burden. In a 2024 American Medical Association national survey, 93 percent of physicians cited care delays linked to prior authorization, 82 percent reported that it sometimes causes patients to abandon recommended treatment, and almost one in three physicians witnessed prior authorization leading to a serious adverse event for a patient, including hospitalization, disability, or death.1 The consequences are particularly acute for patients with complex or life-threatening conditions, such as cancer. A recent survey of oncology professionals found that nearly all participants reported patients experiencing harm due to prior authorization delays, including disease progression (80 percent) and even loss of life (36 percent).2 These findings highlight the urgent need for congressional action to protect patients from bureaucratic barriers to care.

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