US health insurers stall on Trump-backed pledge to curb prior‑authorization denials

A year after U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a six‑part pledge by dozens of health insurers to reduce barriers to doctor‑recommended care, several insurers now say they will not implement all of the promised initiatives. The pledge, made in June 2025, targeted the prior‑authorization process; trade group AHIP reports that insurers have eliminated about 6.5 million prior‑authorizations – an 11 % reduction – since the announcement. Critics argue the effort is largely symbolic. Patient advocate Sally Nix called the voluntary pledge “performative,” and Rep. Greg Murphy (R‑NC), who co‑chaired the news conference, said the situation has “never been this bad for patients” and that the pledge has “no teeth.” Georgetown University researcher Sabrina Corlette warned that without clear rules, insurers will act in their own financial interest. The Department of Health and Human Services declined to comment on accountability for the pledge.

The controversy highlights ongoing tensions over prior‑authorization practices, which insurers defend as cost‑control measures while patients and clinicians view them as barriers to timely care.