Joint Statement on Insurers’ Pledge to Reform Prior Authorization
June 25, 2025
The Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition (DPAC) and Diabetes Leadership Council (DLC) appreciate the recent pledge by major health insurers—including Cigna, Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare—to reform prior authorization processes. While we welcome this long-overdue acknowledgement of the harm caused by bureaucratic barriers, people with diabetes and other chronic conditions cannot afford empty promises.
Prior authorization often delays lifesaving care, jeopardizing patient health and draining provider time.A recent KFF survey found that 16% of patients experienced problems with prior authorization in a single year—a figure that jumped to 31% for those with frequent doctor visits. For healthcare providers, these bureaucratic hurdles have led to physician burnout and the need to hire more staff.
While any step toward transparency and efficiency for patients is welcome, this pledge lacks the details required to evaluate its feasibility, effectiveness, or value. DPAC and DLC will be watching to ensure that these voluntary commitments are translated into tangible action, and we look to the TrumpAdministration to hold insurers accountable.
We urge insurers to engage directly with patient advocacy organizations—not as an afterthought, but as partners in designing equitable solutions for their communities. DPAC and DLC will persistently monitor progress—because affordable, accessible care for all Americans is non-negotiable.