S 5612

This bill, the Prior Authorization Relief Act, aims to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries by reforming prior authorization requirements within the Medicare Advantage program. It directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to audit prior authorization practices and identify items, services, and drugs that are excessively burdensome. The bill then mandates the standardization of these requirements across all Medicare Advantage plans and creates an exemption for accountable care organizations (ACOs) that meet specific patient load and savings criteria. It also allows Medicare Advantage plans to request an exemption to continue using prior authorization requirements.