Continues to build on recently announced initiatives to reduce requirements for rural care providers and to standardize submission requirements among insurers
UnitedHealthcare is eliminating authorization requirements for 30% of healthcare services that previously required insurer approval.
This initiative builds on a series of recent, industry-leading commitments the company has made to make healthcare simpler and more affordable, while raising the bar for transparency and accountability across the marketplace.
"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. "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."
Today, prior authorization is required for only 2% of UnitedHealthcare medical services. Of the authorizations that are submitted, around 92% 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 2026, UnitedHealthcare will eliminate an additional 30% of remaining prior authorizations, including select outpatient surgeries, some diagnostic tests like echocardiograms, and certain outpatient therapies and chiropractic care. A full list will be available on UHCProvider.com before these changes take effect.
Today's announcement builds 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
On April 24, 2026, UnitedHealthcare championed 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% of UnitedHealthcare's prior authorizations will be part of the new standardized submission process by year‑end.
On April 20, 2026, UnitedHealthcare announced that it is expanding support for rural healthcare communities by accelerating payments to more select hospitals nationwide and exempting many rural care providers from prior authorization requirements. These actions are designed 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.
On March 31, 2026, UnitedHealthcare publicly reported prior authorization metrics, and 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.
On March 16, 2026, UnitedHealthcare expanded coverage for doula care to support families throughout pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. By Jan. 1, 2027, about 7.2 million members could have access to the offering through employer health plans.
In January, the company pledged to voluntarily eliminate and rebate any profits from its individual ACA offerings in 2026.
More broadly, the company has also undertaken a comprehensive, third-party review of its core business practices and processes, including approaches to care management. The company published its first series of reports in December and will continue to publicly report progress as improvements are made.
Together, these efforts reflect UnitedHealthcare's continued focus on reducing administrative complexity, improving the care experience and helping people access care more easily and efficiently.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the healthcare experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with physicians, care professionals, hospitals and other care facilities. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH), a diversified healthcare company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow UnitedHealthcare on LinkedIn.
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