Major US health provider drops prior authorization for 30% of services — and 93% of doctors say it’s long overdue UnitedHealthcare (UHC) is the largest health insurer in America, covering more than 29 million people, according to the American Medical Association (1).
Unfortunately, as CNBC reported last year, it has also become the “face of America’s health insurance frustrations” (2)
The fatal shooting of the company’s CEO Brian Thompson in December of 2024 brought to the forefront the intense frustrations people have with UHC. In fact, his death prompted calls for reforms and criticisms of the insurance industry’s focus on profits over people. Must Read UHC was even sued by shareholders (3) for allegedly misrepresenting the impact of the public backlash on its business, which the shareholders claimed caused a sharp drop in the stock price.
Now, however, UnitedHealthcare has actually made a positive move, announcing a new policy that will cut red tape and make it easier for some patients to get the medical services they need. UnitedHealthcare makes a major change to open up access to care UnitedHealthcare issued a news release on May 5 (4), announcing the big change that many policyholders will welcome. The insurer said it is eliminating prior authorization requirements for 30% of health care services that previously required approval.