Patients across the U.S. may soon get faster access to medical treatment as top health insurers agree to streamline the controversial prior authorization process—no government mandate required.
Key Facts:
- Health insurers like UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Kaiser Permanente have voluntarily agreed to improve the prior authorization process.
- U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced the changes at a press conference.
- The goal is to reduce delays in care and make it easier for patients to access treatment without unnecessary approval hurdles.
- Insurance companies plan to implement standardized electronic systems for prior authorizations by Jan. 1, 2027.
- By Jan. 1, 2026, insurers aim to reduce the number of procedures that require prior authorization.
The Rest of The Story:
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Medicare & Medicaid Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced a new initiative to cut down on delays caused by insurance red tape.
At the center of the reform is the prior authorization process, a widely criticized requirement that forces patients and doctors to get insurer approval before treatments can proceed.
“Patients should not be waiting because bureaucratic hurdles are blocking their medical treatment,” said Dr. Oz during Monday’s announcement.
Kennedy added, “Pitting patients and their doctors against massive companies was not good for anyone.”
🚨 BREAKING: RFK Jr. Announces Program to END Insurance Pre-Authorization!
“85% of Americans say that they have had delays in health care because of prior authorization. The doctors hate it. It costs them 12 to 15 hours a week filling out forms.”
This is a MASSIVE win for… pic.twitter.com/hGEmWdPrZ5
— Lauren Lee (@sheislaurenlee) June 23, 2025
The changes, made voluntarily by insurers without any federal mandate, will include grace periods for patients switching plans and a move toward faster, electronic approval systems.
America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) confirmed the industry’s commitment to deploy standardized digital systems by 2027 and to reduce prior authorization requirements by 2026.
Commentary:
This announcement marks a long-overdue shift in the balance of power between patients and insurers.
For too long, large corporations have acted as middlemen in the most personal and urgent decisions of people’s lives—when and how they receive medical care.
Insurers collect thousands of dollars annually from working Americans, only to turn around and force them to jump through hoops when they actually need help.
That’s not coverage—that’s obstruction.
These delays have cost lives and left doctors powerless to act in the best interest of their patients.
Removing or reducing prior authorization requirements is a massive win for families, doctors, and the health care system as a whole.
It cuts costs, eliminates delays, and puts the focus back where it belongs: on patient care, not insurance compliance.
Electronic approval systems will eliminate mountains of paperwork and weeks of waiting.
It also means fewer insurance employees making life-or-death calls from behind desks, and more decisions being made in the exam room where they belong.
The Bottom Line:
Health insurers are voluntarily stepping up to reduce delays and red tape in the prior authorization process.
Patients can expect quicker care, fewer denials, and more decisions made between them and their doctors—not insurance companies.
These reforms could save lives, cut costs, and bring long-needed common sense back to American health care.
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