Insurers Keep Care Approval Delays Despite 2025 Pledge to Ease Prior Authorization
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 18
Insurers Keep Care Approval Delays Despite 2025 Pledge to Ease Prior Authorization
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 18
Nearly a year after insurers promised reforms, patients and doctors say prior-authorization delays and denials for needed treatment remain largely unchanged.
One Utah mother spent about 2 months securing a refill for her 15-year-old daughter’s medication after a January review requirement interrupted access.
KFF polling underscores the strain: 1 in 3 insured adults called prior authorization a major burden, and nearly 70% said it was at least somewhat burdensome.
Last June, dozens of insurers pledged to cut the number of services needing prior approval, speed reviews and preserve 90 days of treatment continuity after plan switches.
Insurers promise to cut millions of prior authorizations. Will patients with chronic diseases actually feel the relief?
Beyond insurer pledges, can new tech and dispensing models finally break the cycle of treatment delays for the sickest patients?
New federal rules speed up medical approvals, but why are critical prescription drugs still left out of these protections?