S. 1816 · 119th Congress

Sets prior authorization standards for Medicare Advantage plans

Official title: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 20251

Never got a floor voteMedicare Advantage

§1What it does

Why this matters: A plain-English description of the bill as it was voted on, written by us from the official summary and text.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

This bill would set requirements for prior authorization, the process in which a health plan must approve a service before it will cover it, in Medicare Advantage plans, the private plans that provide Medicare benefits.2,3 Plans would have to run an electronic prior authorization program that meets set standards, report each year on their prior authorization decisions, including the share of requests approved and average response times, and meet quality and timeliness standards set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.3 Federal health agencies would have to publish a report analyzing the plans' information, the feasibility of real-time decisions on requests, and how decisions made using artificial intelligence affect patients' access to care.3

§2Status

StatusLatest action, May 20, 2025: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.1
IntroducedMay 20, 2025
SponsorSen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS]
Cosponsors71 cosponsors (38 Democratic, 32 Republican, 1 independent)
Official recordS. 1816 on Congress.gov

§3It never got a vote

Why this matters: This bill had wide support from both parties, but it never reached the House or Senate floor, so no member of Congress was ever recorded voting for or against it.

Latest action, May 20, 2025: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.1 How bills die without a vote.

2026 candidates who sponsored or cosponsored it (18)