Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) announced that fourteen students from Georgia's 11th Congressional District have received appointments to attend a U.S. military service academy. Earlier this month, on June 7th, 2024, Rep. Loudermilk hosted a send-off reception to honor these exceptional young Americans eager to serve this great country.

"Being accepted to one of our nation's exceptional military service academies is a life-changing achievement that requires hard work and determination from a young age. It's a tremendous honor to have nominated these students, because the nomination process is a responsibility my office takes very seriously. Our academy selection board only selects the best and brightest from Georgia's 11th Congressional District. Congratulations to the class of 2028 on being among those chosen to represent our state and district at some of the most revered institutions in our nation."

Each year, Members of Congress are tasked with nominating students from their own district to attend our nation's prestigious service academies. Appointees are awarded full four-year scholarships, which includes housing, tuition and books.

United States Military Academy (USMA)

Brayden L. Fountain, Acworth, GA, Allatoona High School

Jett M. Hartley, Atlanta, GA, Westminster Schools

Bryson W. Hosea, Woodstock, GA, U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School

John S. Resetar, Big Canoe, GA, Veritas Classical School

Alexander V. Russu, Kennesaw, GA, Kennesaw Mountain High School

United States Naval Academy (USNA)

Kevin D. Maurer, Canton, GA, Woodstock High School

Jenna M. Nicholl, Acworth, GA, Blessed Trinity Catholic High School

Noah B. Praser, Acworth, GA, Harrison, High School

Nathaniel R. Smith, Kennesaw, GA, U.S. Naval Academy Preparatory School

United States Air Force Academy (USAFA)

Alexander J. Adams, Woodstock, GA, Mount Paran Christian School

Andrew B. Maier, Acworth, GA, Georgia Military College

Brandon M. Sullivan, Acworth, GA, Allatoona High School

Chantel A. Thompson, Powder Springs, GA, Randolph – Macon Academy

Sydney K. Watson, Canton, GA, Cherokee High School

This week, Rep. Loudermilk (GA-11) joined Reps. Mike Kelly (PA-16), Suzan DelBene (WA-1), Larry Bucshon (IN-8), and Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-6) as a cosponsor of H.R. 8702, the Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act. The U.S. Senate companion version was introduced by U.S. Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS), Krysten Sinema (I-AZ), John Thune (R-SD), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH). This bipartisan and bicameral legislation streamlines the prior authorization process under Medicare Advantage (MA) allowing seniors to get the care they need and helping health care providers put patients over paperwork.

BACKGROUND

Prior authorization is a tool used by health plans to reduce unnecessary care by requiring health care providers to get pre-approval for medical services. But it’s not without fault. The current system often results in unconfirmed faxes of a patient’s medical information or phone calls by clinicians which takes precious time away from delivering quality and timely care. Prior authorization continues to be the #1 administrative burden identified by health care providers, and three out of four Medicare Advantage enrollees are subject to unnecessary delays due to prior authorization. In recent years, the Office of the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) raised concerns after an audit revealed that Medicare Advantage plans ultimately approved 75% of requests that were originally denied. More recently, HHS OIG released a report finding that MA plans incorrectly denied beneficiaries’ access to services even though they met Medicare coverage rules.

Health plans, health care providers, and patients agree that the prior authorization process must be improved to better serve patients and reduce unnecessary administrative burdens for clinicians. In fact, leading health care organizations released a consensus statement to address some of the most pressing concerns associated with prior authorization.

Specifically, the bill would:

• Establish an electronic prior authorization process for MA plans including a standardization for transactions and clinical attachments.
• Increase transparency around MA prior authorization requirements and its use.
• Clarify CMS’ authority to establish timeframes for e-PA requests including expedited determinations, real-time decisions for routinely approved items and services, and other PA requests.
• Expand beneficiary protections to improve enrollee experiences and outcomes.
• Require HHS and other agencies to report to Congress on program integrity efforts and other ways to further improve the e-PA process.

The Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act unanimously passed the House in the 117th Congress and was cosponsored by a majority of members in the House and Senate.

House original cosponsors include Adrian Smith (R-NE), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), August Pfluger (R-TX), Angie Craig (D-MN), Blake Moore (R-UT), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Bob Latta (R-OH), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Beth Van Duyne (R-TX), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Buddy Carter (R-GA), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Brad Wenstrup, M.D. (R-OH), Don Beyer (D-VA), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Carol Miller (R-WV), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Greg Pence (R-IN), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Nanette Barragan (D-CA), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), John James (R-MI), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), David Schweikert (R-AZ), John Larson (D-CT), Mariannette Miller-Meeks, M.D. (R-IA), Drew Ferguson (R-GA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Michael Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), John Joyce, M.D. (R-PA), Greg Steube (R-FL), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Neal Dunn, M.D. (R-FL), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Richard Hudson (R-NC), Michelle Steel (R-CA), Mike Carey (R-OH), Tim Walberg (R-MI), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Troy Balderson (R-OH), Ron Estes (R-KS), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), Adam Smith (D-WA), Andre Carson (D-IN), Andrea Salinas (D-OR), Andy Harris, M.D. (R-MD), Austin Scott (R-GA), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Bill Foster (D-IL), Colin Allred (D-TX), Cori Bush (D-MO), Dan Meuser (R-PA), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), David Rouzer (R-NC), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Deborah Ross (D-NC), Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Don Bacon (R-NE), Don Davis (D-NC), Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Ed Case (D-HI), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Frank Mrvan (D-IN), Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Grace Meng (D-NY), Greg Stanton (D-AZ), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Jake LaTurner (R-KS), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Jason Crow (D-CO), Jeff Jackson (D-NC), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Jill Tokuda (D-HI), Jim Banks (R-IN), Jim Costa (D-CA), John Moolenaar (R-MI), John Rutherford (R-FL), Julia Letlow (R-LA), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), Mike Bost (R-IL), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Nikema Williams (D-GA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Rick Larsen (D-WA), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Susan Wild (D-PA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Yadira Caraveo (D-CO), Zach Nunn (R-IA), Jim Himes (D-CT), Tim Burchett (R-TN), Valerie Foushee (D-NC), Tracey Mann (R-KS), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Robert Wittman (R-VA), Mike Flood (R-NE), Chuck Edwards (R-NC), and Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA).

Senate original cosponsors include Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tom Carper (D-DE), John Cornyn (R-TX), Bob Casey (D-PA), John Boozman (R-AR), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), J.D. Vance (R-OH), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tedd Budd (R-NC), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Mike Braun (R-IN), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Gary Peters (D-MI), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Peter Welch (D-VT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

Click here to read the full Senate bill text.

For a section-by-section summary, click here.

Association for Mature American Citizens (AMAC), Robert B. Charles:

In sword fighting, as in politics, one meets “the feint,” a deceptive move intended to misdirect, cause an overreaction, distraction, opening, false plunge, or parry. In his epic series Dune, Frank Herbert refers to “feints within feints within feints.” The January 6^th investigative Committee is giving Herbert a run for his money, “feints within feints within feints.” Now, we know.

The US House Administration Committee has an Oversight Subcommittee. That investigative body is chaired by Barry Loudermilk (GA-11), who – having met with him – is a thoughtful, methodical, quintessential investigator. Not Christy’s Poirot, he is unglamorous, yet unremitting in pursuit of truth. And … he is finding it.

What he has found so far about January 6^th is arresting, but not for the reason you think. Far from a government takeover greenlighted by Mr. Trump, the run-amuck day on Capitol Hill appears to have been a convenient springboard for Democrat ambitions – the opening act to stop Trump’s return.

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Just the News:

House Chairman Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., sent requests to 15 federal agencies Wednesday asking for all documents that were previously turned over to the Jan. 6 Select Committee after that Democrat-led committee failed to hand over a majority of those files to the new Republican majority after the 2022 election.

Loudermilk's House Administration Committee Subcommittee on Oversight has been investigating the response to Jan. 6 by various federal agencies and the Capitol Police as well as the investigation of the Democrat-run Jan. 6 committee and its final report.

"The Select Committee on January 6, under Chair Bennie Thompson and Vice Chair Liz Cheney, obtained numerous productions of records from federal agencies and the DC government during its investigation. However, only a fraction of these records were properly archived and handed over to House Republicans in January 2023. Therefore Congressman Loudermilk has no choice but to re-do the work of the Select Committee," reads a statement released by the subcommittee announcing the letters to the federal agencies.

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WRGA Radio:

U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Reverend Raphael Warnock are introducing a bill to honor the late Judge Harold L. Murphy, who passed away in December 2022.

Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock have introduced legislation to rename the Federal building in Rome as the “Harold L. Murphy Federal Building and United States Courthouse” to honor the late Judge Murphy at the courthouse where he served for decades.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14) and Congressman Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) introduced the companion bill in the House, which passed in March 2024.

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Gingrich 360:

House Administration Committee Chairman Barry Loudermilk and his team’s hard work has proven that the January 6 Committee operated completely outside the bounds of legitimacy.

The committee broke House rules, violated legal ethics, trampled the constitutional rights of witnesses, and established a systematic pattern of lying and misleading the Congress and the nation.

The evidence Chairman Loudermilk has been developing further makes clear that Congresswoman Liz Cheney was a driving force in polluting the committee.

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