Dear Secretary Azar and Administrator Verma:
The Part B Access for Seniors and Physicians (ASP) Coalition represents patient and provider groups
dedicated to preserving patient access to Medicare Part B covered services. We urge the Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to restore
unfettered access to Medicare Part B covered drugs for beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage
(MA) plans. MA plans have been using prior authorization restrictions as a barrier to timely delivery of
essential Medicare Part B covered drugs to beneficiaries, putting the health of these patients at risk. MA
plans are required by law to cover the same services as fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare –plans should not
be permitted to use prior authorization to circumvent this requirement.
We appreciate the Administrator’s comments in February emphasizing that “tackling prior
authorization,” is “particularly important,” as CMS expands burden reduction efforts across all
programs. Clear direction to MA plans that they cannot use prior authorization for Medicare Part B
covered services would go a long way to tackling prior authorization and removing burdens that harm
patients and providers.
Read full letter here
