UnitedHealthcare will drop prior authorization for 1,700 codes

On Oct. 1, UnitedHealthcare will eliminate 30% of prior authorization (PA) requirements, following criticism from both patients and providers that the process delays necessary care.

This reduction applies to about 1,700 medical codes across commercial, Medicare Advantage, and other health plans, the payer announced on Sept. 1. It adds to United’s 20% reduction in commercial plan prior authorizations in 2023.

UnitedHealthcare said in a press release its goal is to “help reduce administrative work, remove barriers that can delay care, and give [providers] more time to focus on patient care.” The PA process is meant to safeguard against medically unnecessary care, but government investigations suggest some necessary care may get denied, too.

Michelle Long, senior policy manager for the program on patient and consumer protections at KFF, a health policy research and polling group, told Healthcare Brew the cuts “could make a difference” for some patients and providers, though it’s not possible to estimate their potential impact without more detailed PA data.

Past reforms. United’s new cuts apply to codes for many services across a range of specialties like cardiology, genetic and laboratory testing, and durable medical equipment.

The reduction follows a June 2025 pledge by United and several other insurers to reform PA. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association said in April 2026 that health plans had followed through and eliminated 11% of prior authorizations.

Payers then joined with other healthcare organizations in a June 2026 pledge to usher in 2027 electronic PA requirements. Electronic PA speeds up wait times between a provider’s submission and a payer’s decision from 18.7 to 5.7 hours, according to 2021 data from industry group America’s Health Insurance Plans. Several states have also rolled out laws that require insurers to expedite PA decisions.

But Terrence Cunningham, senior director of administrative simplification policy at the American Hospital Association, told Healthcare Brew over email that hospital and health systems are still struggling. In an American Medical Association survey released in May, 95% of physicians said PA delayed access to care.

“Recent insurer announcements purporting to reduce prior authorization volume have simply not matched what hospitals and health systems have experienced while caring for patients,” Cunningham said.

A dearth of data. An August KFF report, coauthored by Long, notes that the public release of “more detailed prior authorization metrics” could help provide objective measurements of whether insurer reforms are creating “meaningful change.”

The federal government began requiring insurers to release more data on the process in a 2024 final rule, but some details are still proprietary, like the number of prior authorization approvals per procedure.

CMS in April proposed that plans start publicizing more detailed data on prior authorization approvals and denials, including data on drug approvals and denials, starting in 2028.