WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Thursday released the following statement about the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) announcement clarifying that critically and chronically ill Medicare Advantage (MA) beneficiaries are entitled to the same access to Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) services as traditional Medicare beneficiaries.

“No one’s health should suffer because of bureaucratic red tape that delays or prevents them from getting the care they need. This CMS clarification will help remove the barriers Medicare Advantage beneficiaries have faced when it comes to accessing care at Long-Term Care Hospitals, even when they are referred by their physician. We appreciate CMS’s commitment to addressing this problem and ensuring that Medicare Advantage beneficiaries have access to the services they are entitled to by law.”

In December, Murphy and Tillis sent a letter to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, detailing how MA plans’ prior authorization practices are used to deny coverage of medically necessary care at Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs). The senators urged public clarification that critically and chronically ill MA beneficiaries should have the same access to Long-Term Care Hospital services as traditional Medicare beneficiaries, as required by law.

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