U.S. Health Insurers Vow Reforms After Meetings with Kennedy Jr.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took significant strides on Monday as he met with major health insurers to extract pledges for streamlined procedures in medicine and medical service approvals. Attendees included top executives from UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Kaiser Permanente. The meeting also saw the presence of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, as confirmed by the Department of Health and Human Services.

The insurers pledged to implement six defined reforms focused on minimizing bureaucratic obstruction, hastening care decisions, and ensuring transparency for both patients and healthcare providers, according to a statement by HHS. CMS's Administrator Oz noted in a news conference that while participation in the pledge is voluntary, a significant 75% of U.S. patients currently benefit from these participating plans.

Prominent changes in the pledge include the transition to digital and automatic processes, a 90-day continuity of authorizations when patients switch insurers, and the reduction of prior authorization requirements for numerous medical procedures. If unmet, Oz hinted at potential government intervention. Insurers will work towards better data standardization by 2027, reducing the breadth of pre-authorized claims by 2026. The announcement was earlier shared by trade group AHIP during the meeting.

(With inputs from agencies.)