UnitedHealthcare announced it will remove prior authorization requirements for nearly one-third of covered services as insurers face mounting criticism over treatment delays and administrative burdens on doctors.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
UnitedHealthcare announced Wednesday that it will eliminate prior authorization requirements for approximately 30% of medical services by the end of the year in an effort to reduce delays in patient care and ease administrative burdens on physicians.
The company said the changes will apply to select outpatient surgeries, diagnostic procedures such as echocardiograms, certain outpatient therapies, and chiropractic services.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Tim Noel said the insurer is attempting to simplify access to care while maintaining safeguards intended to prevent unnecessary or inappropriate treatments.
“Prior authorization is an essential safeguard but should only be used when it truly protects patients and improves care,” Noel said in a company statement.
“Eliminating these requirements is one more way we are working to make it easier for patients to get the care they need when they need it and ensure doctors can spend more time with their patients,” he added.
The company stated it plans to complete implementation of the changes before the end of 2026 and said a full list of affected services will be published on UHCProvider.com before the revisions take effect.
Prior authorization rules require doctors and healthcare providers to obtain approval from insurers before certain tests, procedures, medications, or treatments can be performed.
The process has faced years of criticism from physicians, hospitals, and patient advocates who argue it frequently delays medically necessary care and creates large administrative workloads for healthcare providers.
UnitedHealthcare said prior authorization currently applies to only about 2% of its covered services and stated that roughly 92% of authorization requests are approved within 24 hours on average.
Still, doctors’ organizations say the process continues to create widespread delays.
According to a 2024 survey conducted by the American Medical Association, 93% of physicians reported care delays linked to prior authorization requirements.
The survey also found physicians and their staffs spend an average of 13 hours each week completing authorization paperwork and insurance-related requests.
The announcement follows broader efforts by federal health officials and major insurers to reduce prior authorization requirements across the healthcare system.
In June 2025, executives from UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Kaiser Permanente, Humana, and other insurers joined officials from the Trump administration to announce voluntary reforms intended to streamline authorization procedures and reduce barriers to treatment.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mehmet Oz said participating insurers had agreed to voluntarily improve approval timelines and simplify the system.
“These commitments represent a step in the right direction toward restoring trust, easing burdens on providers, and helping patients receive timely, evidence-based care,” Oz said at the time.
“We applaud these voluntary actions by the private sector, which is how these types of issues should be solved,” he added.
Federal officials said the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will continue monitoring insurer compliance and evaluating whether the reforms meaningfully improve access to care and reduce delays for patients.
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