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Investing.com - U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. secured commitments from major health insurers Monday to streamline their prior authorization processes for medications and medical services.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced that Kennedy and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz met with representatives from several leading insurance providers to discuss simplification efforts. The meeting included executives from UnitedHealth Group Inc’s (NYSE:UNH) UnitedHealthcare, CVS Health Corp’s (NYSE:CVS) Aetna, Cigna Group (NYSE:CI), Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM), Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Kaiser Permanente.
Prior authorization requirements, which mandate that healthcare providers obtain insurer approval before certain treatments or medications are covered, have long been criticized for creating administrative burdens and potentially delaying patient care.
During Monday’s meeting, the insurers pledged to implement additional measures to simplify these requirements, though specific details of these commitments were not outlined in the HHS statement.
The discussion represents part of the administration’s broader efforts to address healthcare administrative complexities that can impact both providers and patients throughout the U.S. healthcare system.
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