{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2025/9/blackburn-cortez-masto-lead-bipartisan-legislation-to-require-prompt-payment-from-medicare-advantage-protect-seniors-from-delayed-bills", "Blackburn, Cortez Masto Lead Bipartisan Legislation to Require Prompt Payment from Medicare Advantage, Protect Seniors from Delayed Bills", "2025-09-19", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "TN", "Marsha Blackburn", "B001243", "www.blackburn.senate.gov", "blackburn", "https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/news/cc8c80c1-d564-4bbb-93a4-f1d772346ae0", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the Medicare Advantage Prompt Pay Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation to improve Medicare Advantage\u2019s (MA) billing practices, offer certainty health care providers who contract with MA plans, and ensure that seniors aren\u2019t stuck with unfair, confusing, or delayed bills after receiving critical care. Companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives is led by Representatives Jodey Arrington (R-Texas-19) and Linda S\u00e1nchez (D-Calif.-38).\n\n\"Tennessee seniors should not have to worry about whether their Medicare Advantage plan will pay for their care in a timely manner,\u201d said Senator Blackburn. \"The Medicare Advantage Prompt Pay Act would improve Medicare billing practices by offering certainty to health care providers who contract with MA plans, ensuring that seniors are not burdened by unfair or overdue bills.\u201d\n\n\u201cNevadans who rely on Medicare Advantage deserve the peace of mind that when they go to the doctor\u2019s office or hospital, their MA plan will pay providers for their care in a timely manner, and they won\u2019t be sent a delayed bill many months later,\u201d said Senator Cortez Masto. \u201cThis bipartisan legislation makes commonsense fixes to Medicare Advantage\u2019s billing practices that will help health care providers and patients by bringing transparency and stability to the program.\u201d\n\n\u201cMedicare Advantage plans are delaying payments to rural hospitals and providers - resulting in service cuts, staff shortages, forced closures, and patients with unexpected medical bills months or even years later,\u201d said House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington. \u201cMy bipartisan Medicare Advantage Prompt Pay Act fixes this problem by requiring plans to pay hospitals and doctors on time or face penalty. By holding plans accountable and making the process more transparent, this bill protects patients, supports the hospitals and doctors who care for them, and ensures Medicare Advantage works as intended.\u201d\n\n\u201cMore than half of seniors eligible for Medicare are enrolled in Medicare Advantage. However, too many are hit with confusing medical bills due to delayed and inconsistent Medicare Advantage billing practices. Our bipartisan bill will bring much-needed clarity to the system, ensuring healthcare providers are paid promptly and patients aren\u2019t hit with unexpected bills long after they received care,\u201d said Representative Linda S\u00e1nchez.\n\nENDORSEMENTS\n\nThis legislation is endorsed by the Federation of American Hospitals (FAH), American Hospital Association (AHA), National Rural Health Association (NRHA), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), America\u2019s Essential Hospitals (AEH), American Society of Anesthesiologists, American Psychiatric Association (APA), Bipartisan Policy Center Action (BPC Action), Nevada Hospital Association, Texas Hospital Association, California Hospital Association, Vizient, and OCHIN.\n\n\u201cThe Nevada Hospital Association supports Senator Cortez Masto\u2019s Medicare Advantage Prompt Pay Act which ensures Medicare Advantage Plans comply with stricter prompt payment requirements for healthcare providers,\u201dsaid Patrick Kelly, President and CEO of Nevada Hospital Association. \u201cEstablishing clear payment standards will promote timely reimbursement, reduce administrative challenges, and strengthen patient care. We appreciate Senator Cortez Masto\u2019s leadership in championing this important legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cToo often, arbitrary delays and denials threaten seniors\u2019 access to care and further strain hospital finances. This commonsense, bipartisan legislation represents an important step toward increasing accountability for health insurers and creating sensible guidelines for the prompt payment of provider claims. The law has long required prompt payment in traditional Medicare, and this overdue legislation ensures Medicare Advantage plans have to play by the rules. FAH is grateful to Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Representatives Jodey Arrington (R-TX) and Linda S\u00e1nchez (D-CA) for\n\nintroducing the Medicare Advantage (MA) Prompt Pay Act and protecting seniors' access to 24/7 care,\u201d said Charlene MacDonald, Federation of American Hospitals (FAH) Executive Vice President of Public Affairs. FAH has 38 member facilities across Nevada, employing more than 16,000 Nevadans.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2025/9/blackburn-cortez-masto-lead-bipartisan-legislation-to-require-prompt-payment-from-medicare-advantage-protect-seniors-from-delayed-bills"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.664491068571806, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}