RFK Jr and Dr Oz announce insurers’ ‘pledge’ to reform prior authorization

Health secretary and chief of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid hail voluntary agreement as a good start'

The US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and Dr Mehmet Oz announced a voluntary agreement with insurance companies to change prior authorization practices - where private health insurers require patients to ask for permission before they can receive medical treatment.

The majority of Americans receive health insurance through a private company, whether through an employer, or a privatization of public health insurance programs, such as Medicare Advantage.