Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative DelBene for being with me today. We are really proud of this bill because it has taken a lot of time to get there, and it has taken so many people on both sides of the aisle looking at it and saying this is something that just makes sense. The purpose of the Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act is very simple: it is to protect our seniors. They deserve fast, high- quality care when they see their doctor, not bureaucratic paperwork and delays. Unfortunately, our current prior authorization system often produces just that. My office has heard countless stories of Pennsylvanians being affected by having their care delayed due to prior authorizations. One ophthalmology practice reported that they had problems getting both of a patients' eyes authorized for a basic operation because the system rejected the second eye as a duplicate. At the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Neurosurgery, doctors can perform an advanced surgery with a Gamma Knife to control brain tumors. In many cases, these operations give patients life and more time. The problem is that it takes prior authorization, and care is delayed for way, way too long costing patients' valuable time. As a result, patients lose confidence in the medical system, and they also begin to lose hope.…”