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UnitedHealth Cutting Back on Prior Authorizations
Carrier Updates
Thursday, September 14 2023
(By Tina Reed) - Starting next month, UnitedHealthcare says it will move forward with plans to drop prior authorization requirements for a range of procedures, including dozens of radiology services and genetic tests, among others.
UnitedHealth is among the health insurance giants who have announced plans to cut back on prior authorization as federal regulators consider tougher curbs on the practice.
Prior authorization is often criticized by patients and doctors, who complain they are an administrative burden or impede necessary care. Insurers, meanwhile, say prior authorization provides important guardrails against improper health care utilization, helping to keep costs down.
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UnitedHealth is among the health insurance giants who have announced plans to cut back on prior authorization as federal regulators consider tougher curbs on the practice.
Prior authorization is often criticized by patients and doctors, who complain they are an administrative burden or impede necessary care. Insurers, meanwhile, say prior authorization provides important guardrails against improper health care utilization, helping to keep costs down.
- UnitedHealth, the largest commercial U.S. insurer, previously said, its prior authorization removals will represent roughly 20% of its overall prior authorization volume.
- Cigna and Aetna also announced plans to roll back some prior authorization requirement.
- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed a rule to limit the amount of time insurers have to review requests on services for which they require prior approval, BenefitsPro previously reported.
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