By the end of 2026, UnitedHealthcare plans to eliminate an additional 30 percent of health care services that previously required the insurer’s approval.
The latest initiative builds on a series of recent, industry-leading commitments the company has made to make health care simpler and more affordable, while raising the bar for transparency and accountability across the marketplace.
Prior authorization, which insurers use to control costs and prevent unnecessary procedures, has become a hot button issue in the industry with patients and providers complaining that the pre-approval requests can delay treatment and create unnecessary administrative hurdles. But UnitedHealthcare, the largest insurer in the United States, currently requires prior authorization for only two percent of its medical services, according to the company announcement. Of the authorizations that are submitted, the insurer says that approximately 92 percent are approved and in less than 24 hours, on average. Within Medicare Advantage, UnitedHealthcare has fewer prior authorization requirements than any other insurer.
By the end of this year, UnitedHealthcare said it will eliminate an additional 30 percent of remaining prior authorizations, including select outpatient surgeries, some diagnostic tests like echocardiograms, and certain outpatient therapies and chiropractic care.
“Prior authorization is an essential safeguard but should only be used when it truly protects patients and improves care,” said Tim Noel, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, in the announcement. “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. We are committed to further improving and refining our processes to make reviews quicker, simpler, and more efficient.”
The plans build on an ongoing effort to improve and simplify patient and care provider experiences and lower costs for consumers, including:
- Steadily reducing the number of services that require prior authorization
- Expanding the first‑of‑its‑kind national Gold Card program, which recognizes provider groups who consistently adhere to evidence-based care guidelines
- Investing in digital tools that support electronic submission, real‑time status tracking and faster decisions
Earlier this month, UnitedHealthcare supported an industry effort to standardize electronic prior authorization submission requirements, laying the groundwork for greater automation and interoperability, and a more seamless experience for care providers and patients. More than 70 percent of UnitedHealthcare’s prior authorizations will be part of the new standardized submission process by year‑end.
RELATED: AHIP: Health plans to adopt standardized prior authorization to accelerate patient access to care
It has also announced plans to expand support for rural health care communities by accelerating payments to more select hospitals nationwide and exempting many rural care providers from prior authorization requirements. The steps are meant to improve financial stability for rural hospitals, ease strain on care teams and help ensure patients in rural communities can access high‑quality care when and where they need it. By fall of 2026, this program will expand to approximately 1,500 rural hospitals and their associated rural practitioners nationwide, including all Critical Access Hospitals.
RELATED: UnitedHealthcare to speed payments and ease prior authorization for rural hospitals nationwide
In March, the company also began to publicly report prior authorization metrics, and it maintains the data on its website along with additional context to help care providers, members and the public better understand how prior authorization is used.