{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-introduces-bill-to-help-arkansas-seniors-obtain-timely-medicare-coverage/", "Cotton Introduces\u00a0Bill to Help Arkansas Seniors Obtain Timely Medicare Coverage", "2026-09-23", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "Senate", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", "cotton", "https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "page_html", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\n\nContact: Tatum Wallace or Hannah McCarthy\n\nSeptember 23, 2026\n\nCotton Introduces Bill to Help Arkansas Seniors Obtain Timely Medicare Coverage\n\nWASHINGTON\u2014Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Senator Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-New Mexico) today introduced legislation to eliminate bureaucratic red tape that impedes Arkansas seniors\u2019 access to new medical devices and services. The Ensuring Timely Access to Coverage Decisions Act would increase transparency by establishing deadlines for Medicare administrators to determine if a certain item or service is covered.\n\n\u201cArkansas seniors deserve access to high-quality medical treatments, and they shouldn\u2019t have to wait on the slow clock of government to obtain coverage for them. Our bill would require Medicare administrators to give seniors prompt, transparent decisions about their coverage, ensuring they can address their health concerns in a timely manner,\u201d said Senator Cotton.\n\n\u201cMedicare beneficiaries should not have to wait years for cutting edge treatments while medical science and technology advance rapidly. Patients deserve a coverage process that is timely, transparent, and informed by qualified health experts. My Timely Access to Coverage Decisions Act will bring greater accountability and certainty to Medicare coverage decisions so patients can access the care they need without unnecessary delays,\u201dsaid Senator Luj\u00e1n.\n\nText of the bill can be found here.\n\nThe Ensuring Timely Access to Coverage Decisions Act would:\n\nRequire Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to report whether a Local Coverage Determinations (LCD) request is completed within 60 days.\n\nRequire MACs to issue a final decision on LCD requests within 365 days.\n\nApply the 60-day completeness determination and 365-day decision deadline to LCD reconsideration requests.\n\nRequire MACs to publicly post proposed LCD requests, supporting evidence for LCDs, coding and billing information, and written rationales before LCDs can take effect.\n\nRequire MACs to hold public meetings, accept public comments, and obtain inputs from expert panels and organizations representing Medicare beneficiaries during the LCD process.\n\nEstablish evidence-based standards for LCDs.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-24T09:44:48Z", "2026-09-24T09:45:52Z"]], "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.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-introduces-bill-to-help-arkansas-seniors-obtain-timely-medicare-coverage/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.893456093966961, "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"}