UnitedHealth Group said Tuesday it is planning to stop requiring doctors to get approvals for a slew of tests, surgeries and other procedures, an effort to ease patient access to care.
The company, which runs the largest insurer in the US, will use AI to cease requiring approvals for echocardiograms, chiropractic care, certain outpatient surgeries and some outpatient therapy, according to a press release.
The authorization process has long been despised by both doctors and patients, who blame the lengthy paperwork process for slowing down — and at times preventing — necessary treatment.
Industry giants including CVS Health’s Aetna and Cigna Group have pledged to ease authorizations in an effort to quell heated backlash against the healthcare system in the wake of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s shocking killing in 2024.
Accused murderer Luigi Mangione ranted about the healthcare industry, which he wrote “extracts human life force for money,” in diary entries ahead of the fatal shooting. He’s set to go on trial this fall.
“Prior authorization is an essential safeguard but should only be used when it truly protects patients and improves care,” UnitedHealthcare CEO Tim Noel said in a Tuesday statement.
“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,” he added.
Insurers have slashed about 11% of pre-authorizations since launching a joint reform effort in 2025, according to health industry organizations – though groups representing healthcare providers have said they’ve seen limited impact.
Noel told the Wall Street Journal that the move is just an early signal of how AI can help change healthcare’s complex financial system. The company will increasingly be able to use data analysis to flag certain healthcare providers with spiking patterns of questionable use, he said.
The new AI-backed tech will not be used to deny insurance claims, according to the exec.
Insurance companies have long argued that approvals are necessary to prevent expensive, potentially unnecessary procedures.
UnitedHealthcare said prior authorizations are only required for 2% of its medical services. Around 92% of authorizations are approved in less than 24 hours on average.
The company is looking to standardize authorization requirements among its Medicare, Medicaid and employer plans, as well as remove the step for services that are nearly always approved.
UnitedHealthcare previously launched a “gold card” program lifting approval requirements on certain healthcare provider groups.
It’s not the first healthcare insurer to consider using AI to fix its authorization process.
About 68% of health insurers were using, planning to use or considering using AI to review pre-authorizations for approval, according to a survey last year by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
About 12% said the same about insurance denials, according to the survey.
