Physician, patient care, and medical specialty groups support H.R. 8500 to improve transparency and patient access.
WASHINGTON, DC—More than 30 organizations representing physicians, clinical laboratories, patients, diagnostics, and medical specialties are calling on Congress to enact H.R. 8500, the Timely Access to Coverage Decisions Act of 2026. The bipartisan legislation seeks to improve the Medicare local coverage determination (LCD) process and help ensure patients have timely access to medically necessary care.
In a letter to Reps. Neal Dunn, MD (R-FL), Nanette Barragán (D-CA), and Claudia Tenney (R-NY), the organizations thanked the lawmakers for introducing the bill and urged passage of reforms that would make Medicare coverage decisions more transparent, predictable, and accountable. Read the full letter. (PDF, 80 KB)
“Patients should have confidence that Medicare coverage decisions are timely, transparent, and based on sound medical evidence,” said Qihui “Jim” Zhai, MD, FCAP, President of the College of American Pathologists. “The breadth of organizations supporting H.R. 8500 shows that physicians, patient care advocates, labs, and other health care stakeholders agree that coverage reforms are desperately needed to protect patient access to medically necessary care.”
LCDs determine whether Medicare will cover certain items and services in specific regions of the country. The coalition said the current process lacks sufficient stakeholder input and transparency, especially as Medicare Administrative Contractor jurisdictions have expanded over time.
More than 90 organizations now support the bill’s passage. In July, about 40 members of the Independence Through Enhanced Medicare and Medicaid (ITEM) Coalition, a national consumer and clinician-led group that includes ALS Association and Amputee Coalition, sent a similar message of support to Reps. Dunn, Barragán, and Tenney. In addition, the Alliance for Woundcare Stakeholders and several state pathology organizations also support the legislation.
The legislation would require Medicare contractors to use a more timely and open LCD process, including defined timelines, public meetings, stakeholder input, timely posting of meeting records and recordings, and an additional CMS review option after contractor reconsideration is exhausted.
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About the College of American Pathologists
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