Last year over 60 major health insurers pledged to streamline prior authorization processes — but few physicians think these pledges have made a difference in PA burden, according to the American Medical Association’s “2025 AMA Prior Authorization Physician Survey” released May 13.
Recently, UnitedHealthcare reaffirmed this pledge, saying it would pare down PA for 30% of applicable services.
At the Becker’s 16th Annual Meeting in Chicago in April, UnitedHealthcare’s Employer and Individual segment CEO Dan Kueter said the company previously reduced commercial PA requirements by 20% and was aiming for an additional 30% reduction.
That same month, UHC joined roughly 50 health plans in agreeing to standardize electronic PAs across most services — but the AMA’s data shows that physicians have little faith that the insurers’ promises will cut down on the administrative burden associated with PA.
The AMA’s survey collected responses from 1,000 practicing physicians across a range of specialties and practice settings throughout December 2025.
Here are five takeaways from the AMA’s survey:
1. Despite the 2018 “Consensus Statement on Improving the Prior Authorization Process” being released nearly 7 years before this survey, physicians report health plans have made little progress honoring their commitments.
2. UnitedHealthcare and Cigna announced PA reductions in 2023, yet only 16% of physicians working with UHC and 16% working with Cigna say those changes actually reduced the number of PAs they complete.
3. 84% of physicians say the number of PAs required for prescription medications has increased over the last 5 years; 82% say the same for medical services.
4. 58% say the number of generic medications requiring PA has increased over 5 years.
5. Only 10% of physicians contract with health plans that offer gold card or PA-exempt programs.
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