House bill introduced to ban prior authorization in Medicare Advantage

Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) introduced the "Improving Seniors' Access to Care Act," which would prohibit the use of prior authorization for medically necessary services under Medicare Advantage plans. The bill positions prior auth as a barrier to care and a driver of clinician burnout. While its prospects in a divided Congress are uncertain, the introduction signals sustained political pressure on MA utilization management practices. This follows CMS's recent proposed rule to streamline prior auth for drugs and UHC's voluntary rollback of some auth requirements in rural areas. Billing leaders should track the bill's progress (HR XXXX) as a marker of the regulatory direction, even if immediate passage is unlikely.