Kennedy says health insurers promise to change prior authorization process

RFK Jr. said health insurance providers have committed to making the prior authorization process easier. The practice often delays or denies care to patients.

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 authorization process, which can delay or deny patients’ access to care.

Prior authorization is a cost-cutting tool used by health insurers that requires them to sign off on tests, procedures or drugs before patients can get them.

The insurance tactic drew renewed attention last year after the fatal shooting of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth’s insurance arm, in New York City.

Patients and doctors say prior authorization creates too many roadblocks, forcing people to wait days or weeks for needed treatments or denying them altogether.

About 1 in 6 insured adults say they’ve had prior authorization problems, according to a survey from KFF, a health policy research group.