Dan Sullivan on Medicare: Trust Fund Insolvency, Prior Authorization and Drug Costs

Dan Sullivan of Alaska cast one of the 50 votes for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 1, 2025, a law the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated would move insolvency of Medicare's hospital insurance trust fund to mid-2032, when hospital payments would be cut 11 percent. The law also adds an estimated $8.8 billion to Medicare spending by exempting more drugs from price negotiation.

Sullivan voted to confirm Mehmet Oz to run Medicare, whose agency launched an artificial intelligence prior authorization test in traditional Medicare, and in July 2026 he voted against taking up a resolution to overturn it.

Sullivan told Alaska reporters the bill "doesn't touch Medicare", a claim the trust fund estimates contradict for Alaska seniors and seniors in every state.

Dan Sullivan's Votes and Statements on Medicare

• Sullivan Cast a Deciding Vote for a Law That Speeds Medicare Insolvency in July 2025. On July 1, 2025, Dan Sullivan voted yes on H.R. 1, which passed 50 to 50 with the Vice President's vote. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated its tax changes accelerate insolvency of the HI trust fund from late 2033 to mid-2032, after which HI payments would be cut by 11 percent.
• Sullivan Voted for Higher Medicare Spending on Orphan Drugs in July 2025. The same law changed the orphan drug exclusion from Medicare drug price negotiation, adding an additional $8.8 billion in Medicare spending in CBO's updated estimate and raising costs for beneficiaries who take those drugs, according to KFF.
• Sullivan Voted Against Overturning AI Prior Authorization in Traditional Medicare in July 2026. On July 16, 2026, Sullivan voted no on the motion to proceed to S.J. Res. 198, which would have overturned the WISeR prior authorization rule; it failed 46 to 50. KFF Health News reported patients facing "Six- to eight-week delays" for services under the model.
• Sullivan Voted to Confirm Mehmet Oz, Whose Agency Brought Prior Authorization to Traditional Medicare. On April 3, 2025, Sullivan voted to confirm Mehmet Oz as CMS Administrator. On January 1, 2026, CMS launched the WISeR model, testing technologies such as artificial intelligence to review services in six states, a practice KFF notes can lead to delays and denials of needed care.
• Sullivan Voted Against Budget Points of Order to Protect Seniors' Health Care in February 2025. On February 21, 2025, Sullivan voted no on points of order against legislation that would take away health care from seniors (failed 48 to 52) and that would reduce Medicare and Medicaid benefits (failed 49 to 51).
• Sullivan Said the Bill "Doesn't Touch Medicare". On July 2, 2025, Sullivan said, "It doesn't touch Medicare, doesn't touch Social Security, despite some of these false ads saying to the contrary" (Alaska Beacon transcript). The law moves Medicare's hospital trust fund insolvency earlier, to 2032, by CRFB's estimate.

What Dan Sullivan's Medicare Votes Mean for Alaska Seniors

• Alaska seniors face an earlier Medicare hospital payment cut. Upon insolvency in 2032, CRFB estimates HI payments would be cut by 11 percent, the fund that pays for hospital stays for Medicare patients in Alaska and every state.
• Medicare patients on some cancer and rare disease drugs will pay more. KFF found the law delays or excludes several high-spending drugs, including cancer drugs, from negotiation, keeping their prices higher for Medicare patients.

Frequently Asked Questions Dan Sullivan on Medicare

Last updated: 2026-10-28

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