Does Medicare require prior authorization?

GoodRx reports that starting January 2026, original Medicare will require prior authorization for certain services in six ...
NBC News

Kennedy says health insurers promise to change prior authorization process

WASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday that the country’s largest health insurers have promised to take steps to streamline the often-criticized prior ...
NPR

RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz say health insurers will cut red tape on 'prior authorizations'

When your doctor decides you could benefit from a particular test or procedure, your insurance company might require documentation to prove it's necessary before agreeing to pay for anything.
Fierce Healthcare

Optum Rx to reduce reauthorizations on 80 drugs

Optum Rx announced Wednesday that it will eliminate up to 25% of reauthorizations, initially focusing on 80 drugs. The pharmacy benefit management arm of UnitedHealth Group said it will work with ...
Healthcare Dive

Optum Rx says it will eliminate 10% of prior authorizations

Optum Rx is moving to eliminate prior authorizations on dozens of drugs, the UnitedHealth-owned pharmacy benefit manager said Wednesday, paring back a key pain point for physicians and patients at a ...
The New York Times

Insurance Companies Send Chilling Letters Just Before Surgery. But Why?

They often deny coverage via snail mail. Here’s what happened when my family got a note like that 36 hours before cancer surgery. By Ron Lieber Disease doesn’t ask permission before invading a body, ...
The Boston Globe

Prior authorization is a scam. I know because I helped create it.

Killing a CEO is not the way to stop outrageous behavior by health insurance companies. So what is? The companies and agencies that buy commercial health insurance and the Medicaid, Medicare, and ...