Insurance Companies Commit to Reducing Delays in Healthcare Approvals

In an effort to address lengthy delays in healthcare approvals, several major insurance providers in the United States have announced plans to expedite the prior authorization process. Previously, obtaining approval from insurance companies before procedures or treatments could be a significant hurdle, leading to frustration among patients and healthcare providers alike.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. highlighted that leading insurers, including Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Cigna, Elevance Health, GuideWell, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, and UnitedHealthcare, have agreed to implement measures aimed at reforming how they handle prior authorizations. These measures are expected to impact private insurance plans, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid.

According to recent surveys from the health policy group KFF, approximately one in six insured adults in the U.S. have experienced difficulties with prior authorization processes. The industry group AHIP estimates these changes could benefit up to 257 million Americans.

However, experts like Dr. Adam Gaffney from Harvard Medical School remain cautiously optimistic. He points out that previous promises of reform in 2018 and 2023 did not lead to substantial changes, and suggests that the current efforts may only produce incremental improvements. Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, emphasizes that public frustration and recent violent incidents involving insurance executives highlight the urgency for meaningful reform.

Starting in the upcoming year, insurers will be required to honor prior authorizations from previous plans for at least 90 days if a patient switches insurance providers. Additionally, plans will need to provide clearer reasons for care denials and guide patients through the appeals process. By 2027, the goal is for at least 80% of electronic prior authorization requests to be processed in real-time and to simplify the online submission process.

Some insurers may also reduce the number of procedures requiring prior approval, with specific examples yet to be disclosed. CMS aims to eliminate prior authorization requirements for common procedures such as colonoscopies, cataract surgeries, and childbirth, and to improve access to services like physical therapy, diagnostic imaging, and outpatient surgeries.

Despite these commitments, skepticism persists among health care experts, who argue that deeper, more fundamental reforms are necessary to truly dismantle the barriers created by insurance policies.

For more insights, Harvard Health provides details on prior authorization processes. Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-delays-health.html