Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has joined Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Joe Manchin (D-WV) to introduce new bipartisan legislation that would streamline access to prescription drugs that require a health plan’s approval. Known as prior authorization, physicians and other clinicians must go through mind-numbing administrative hurdles to get their patients the prescription medicine they need, including life-saving treatment. The current process causes delays in care and can sometimes result in irreversible harm.
“No Rhode Islander should have their medical treatment delayed because of bureaucratic red tape created by insurance companies,” said Whitehouse. “Our bipartisan legislation will streamline the prior authorization process so that patients can get their prescriptions faster.”
This legislation comes on the heels of last week’s bipartisan Budget Committee hearing where panelists called on Congress to modernize prior authorization including e-prescribing and standardization.
