U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia is working to ban insurance companies that delay or deny needed health care.

In a letter to Senate leaders, Ossoff said patients across the country, including in Georgia, are being denied “medically necessary care,” despite paying high premiums.

“No American should be delayed or denied needed health care. It is unacceptable that Americans, who are paying record premiums to insurers making record profits in the world’s richest country, are nevertheless denied medically necessary care.” Sen. Ossoff wrote. “The abuse of ‘prior authorization’ practices has led to Georgians being denied life-saving medication and waiting months for the care they need— all at the whim of insurance companies. This requires us to act in defense of our constituents’ health.”

A recent study from Johns Hopkins University found prior authorization is linked to worsening health outcomes, including increased hospitalizations, longer hospital stays, and lower survival rates, a press release from Sen. Ossoff cites.

Ossoff also notes data from the KFF that illuminates the scope of the issue. Nearly all seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans require prior authorization for some services, and more than four million requests were denied in 2024. The group also reports that nearly 85 million were denied in-network claims under the Affordable Care Act in 2024, and fewer than 1% were appealed.

“In support of your efforts on behalf of American patients and families, I am calling on the Senate to take up legislation that will end the abusive denial or delay of medically necessary health care. At minimum, such legislation should hold insurance companies accountable for improper denials of care, mandate immediate response from insurance companies to requests for authorization, and prohibit retroactive denials of authorization except in cases of fraud or misrepresentation,” Sen. Ossoff said.

Earlier this month, Ossoff launched an inquiry with Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, over insurance practices contributing to delays in care.

Ossoff has also backed several bipartisan measures, including legislation to expand access to hearing devices for children, increase transparency in generic drug approvals, and reduce delays for Medicaid patients seeking specialty care.

Read Sen. Ossoff’s letter below: