A Glimmer of Hope in the Prior Authorization Abyss UnitedHealthcare's decision to eliminate prior approval for over 1,700 medical treatments is a significant step towards fixing one of healthcare's most egregious problems: the Byzantine system of prior authorization.
For years, patients and doctors have been bogged down in paperwork and bureaucratic hurdles as insurers review hospital admissions and medications with an iron fist.
The statistics are staggering: as many as 18% of prior authorization requests were denied last year alone, leaving countless individuals without access to necessary care.