A bipartisan bill cosponsored on June 24 by U.S. Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) would allow patients with Medicare or individual market health plans to change plans when a physician moves out of network or if their out-of-pocket drug cost increases.
The Protecting Patient Access Act, S. 4924, which is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), aims to protect continuity of care, strengthen the patient-physician relationship, and help patients stay on track with their care and treatments.
“When a Part D plan makes significant changes between enrollment periods, seniors shouldn’t be forced to live with a plan they didn’t choose for the rest of the year,” Sen. Curtis said. “By opening enrollment following a significant plan change, our common-sense, bipartisan legislation ensures American seniors are insulated from uncertainty and receive the care they need and have paid for.”
Specifically, S. 4924 would create a special enrollment period for Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and individual market enrollees when their plan makes significant mid-year changes — such as removing a doctor from its network or dropping coverage for a prescription drug, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Curtis’ staff.
“It’s just common sense to allow patients to change their medical insurance to continue seeing the doctors they trust and protect them from getting priced out from the life-saving medicine they need,” said Sen. Rosen.
The American Academy of Family Physicians has endorsed S. 4924, which has been referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.