FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rep. Green Reintroduces Bill to Protect Patients From Delays in Medical Care
Read Ashleigh Field’s exclusive in The Hill here.
WASHINGTON—Rep. Mark Green, M.D. re-introduced his Reducing Medically Unnecessary Delays in Care Act of 2025, alongside Doctor Caucus Co-chair Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC) and the Congressional Democratic Doctors Caucus Co-chair Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-WA) to address the use of prior authorization requirements in Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Part D prescription drug plans.
According to the American Medical Association, 23% of physicians report that prior authorization has led to a patient’s hospitalization, while 18% report that it has led to a life-threatening event. In the same 2024 survey, 94% of physicians believed that prior authorization requirements negatively impacted patient care.
Green said, “As a survivor of both colon and thyroid cancer, I know how critical it is to start treatment as soon as possible. Prior authorization can be a roadblock that costs lives. Doctors need to be able to make fast, life-saving decisions without a jungle of red tape to cut through.
Americans don’t want bureaucrats sitting in on their doctor’s appointments, and they don’t want them to determine their treatment plans. Burdensome regulations keeping patients from accessing life-saving treatment, like colonoscopies, is not only inconvenient but life-threatening. Oftentimes, patients enter into timely and complicated prior authorizations and, through frustration, simply abandon treatment altogether.
Our country is about to face a major physician shortage. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) projected a shortfall of over 187,000 physicians starting in 2037. In fact, 31 out of 35 physician specialties are projected to suffer from this shortfall. Too many physicians suffer from burnout, and a large part of the problem is paperwork burdens. According to the American Medical Association, physicians and their staff spend an average of 16 hours a weekon prior authorization paperwork—that’s two business days! It is high time we lighten this load for these doctors so they can do what they’ve been trained for—practice medicine.”
Rep. Murphy said, "Prior authorization hurdles are prohibiting patients from receiving life-saving care. By ensuring that board certified physicians within the same specialty, not a nurse or other physician that has no expertise, as the requesting physician are making the decisions on authorizations, we can improve the efficiency and accuracy of the process. I appreciate Dr. Green's leadership on this issue and support this bill."
Rep. Schrier said, "No one should lose out on medical care because an AI algorithm is challenging what a doctor has already deemed a necessity. As a physician myself, I've seen firsthand how prior authorization has created life threatening barriers to essential and standard care. I will work alongside any of my colleagues to ensure the best healthcare outcomes for my constituents, and neither they nor their doctors should have to fight insurance companies in their moment of need. This common sense legislation is something everyone should get behind to ensure patients can access the treatment they need when they need it by putting medical decisions back in their physician's hands."
Read the bill here.
This bill was cosponsored by: Reps. John Joyce (R-PA), Rich McCormick (R-GA), Andy Harris (R-MD), Tim Burchett (R-TN), Brian Babin (R-TX), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Mike Kennedy (R-UT)
This bill was endorsed by: The American Medical Association, American Osteopathic Association, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Physicians, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Gastroenterology, American Academy of Otolaryngology, American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons, American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, Oncology Nursing Society, Medical Group Management Association, National Infusion Center Association, Infusion Access Foundation, Alliance of Specialty Medicine, American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, American College of Mohs Surgery, American Gastroenterological Association, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery American Society of Dermatologic Surgery Association, American Society of Echocardiography, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, American Society of Retina Specialists, American Urological Association, Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, National Association of Spine Specialists, Society of Interventional Radiology, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, American College of Asthma, Alllergy, and Immunology, and the Healthcare Business Management Association.
Background: The Reducing Medically Unnecessary Delays in Care Act would reform the practice of prior authorization in Medicare and Medicare Advantage by requiring that board-certified physicians in the same specialty are the ones making these important decisions. It would also direct Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D plans to comply with requirements that restrictions must be based on medical necessity and written clinical criteria, as well as additional transparency obligations.
Read what they’re saying here.
Find out more about the Reducing Medically Unnecessary Delays in Care Act in Rep Green’s:
- 2022 press release here.
- 2022 op-ed in Modern Healthcare here.
- 2022 op-ed in The Hill here.
- 2023 press release here.
- 2023 op-ed in The Hill here.
- 2023 op-ed in the Tennessean here.
- 2025 op-ed in the Tennessean here.
Read more about the bill in The Hill and the Daily Caller.
Watch Rep. Green’s remarks at the 2024 and 2025 United in Blue rallies.
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