The nation’s leading health insurance providers vowed on June 23 to revamp the approval process for medical care claims.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and the AHIP, the nation’s largest health insurance trade association, committed to “streamline, simplify, and reduce prior authorization,” which requires health care professionals to obtain advance approval from a health plan before care is delivered to the patient to qualify for paid coverage.

“The healthcare system remains fragmented and burdened by outdated manual processes, resulting in frustration for patients and providers alike,” said AHIP President and CEO Mike Tuffin. “Health plans are making voluntary commitments to deliver a more seamless patient experience and enable providers to focus on patient care, while also helping to modernize the system.”

To achieve that goal, the health care plans representing more than 257 million Americans aim to build on existing efforts and connect patients more swiftly to the care they need while reducing administrative burdens on providers. These initiatives will be applied across insurance markets, including those with commercial coverage, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid managed care, in accordance with state and federal regulations.

“These measurable commitments—addressing improvements like timeliness, scope and streamlining—mark a meaningful step forward in our work together to create a better system of health,” said Kim Keck, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

“This is an important foundation to address bigger problems together, at a time when technology and interoperability can deliver real improvements to patient experience.”

Among many things, the six-point commitment promises to standardize online prior authorization, reduce the scope of claims before approval, ensure continuity of care when an individual plan changes, improve communication and transparency regarding claim determinations, expand real-time responses, and guarantee review of non-approved requests.

UnitedHealthcare announced in March that it planned to reduce prior authorization requirements by about 10 percent in 2025.

The move by the health care industry comes days after the Senate Finance Committee released its draft of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which AHIP officials stated could raise health care costs, increase premiums, strain state budgets, and boost the uninsured rate.

“At a time when Americans are looking for stability and certainty with their health care, the latest budget proposal would jeopardize the coverage and access to care that millions of Americans rely on in Medicaid and the individual market,” AHIP said in a statement during the trade group’s annual meeting in Las Vegas this weekend.

Health care industry officials stated that progress on the commitments to enhance the prior authorization process, which will be implemented from early 2026 to 2027, will be tracked and reported. A complete list of participating health plans and additional information is available at AHIP.org/SupportingPatients and BCBC.com/ImprovingPA.