
Screenshot of March 25 ProPublica article, “How Cigna Saves Millions by Having Its Doctors Reject Claims Without Reading Them”, captured on Sept. 26, 2023.
Mary Chris Jaklevic, AHCJ’s health beat leader for patient safety, contributed to this article.
In the past year, journalists and health researchers have uncovered troubling facts about how health insurers fail members by delaying or denying care through prior authorization. Also called prior approval, this process is a cost-cutting tool that health insurers use to require patients or doctors to get an okay before agreeing to pay for tests, procedures and prescription drugs, as Lauren Sausser reported for KFF Health News in August.