New federal US rules to curb use of prior approval by private health insurances

Providers working in federal programs will be required to expedite patients' prior authorizations for medications and/or surgery

A new set of rules from the Biden administration seeks to rein in private health insurance companies' use of prior authorization - a byzantine practice that requires people to seek insurance company permission before obtaining medication or having a procedure.

The cost-containment strategy often delays care and forces patients, or their doctors, to navigate opaque and labyrinthine appeals.