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U.S. Employers Sign Electronic Prior Authorization Pledge

October 22, 2026

Five of the country’s leading employers have taken a national pledge in support of electronic prior authorization reform.

“Prior authorization should help patients get the right care, not trap doctors and families in administrative delays,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in a statement.

Here’s what you need to know:

Signees: The groups to take the pledge are employers with self-funded coverage, including Amazon; Axon Enterprise, Inc.; Google; Meta; and Oracle Corporation.
What it means: Participating health insurers pledge to standardize electronic prior authorization; reduce the volume of medical services requiring prior authorization; honor existing authorization during insurance transitions, and expand real-time responses, among other requirements.
By the numbers: More than 180 million people receive their health coverage through employers that sponsor self-funded health plans, CMS notes.
Overall aim: Federal officials said electronic prior authorization can reduce reliance on manual processes and make it easier for providers to navigate prior authorization across different types of coverage.
Quotable: “We’ve brought insurers, providers, and technology companies to the table to modernize prior authorization, and now employers are helping us take another important step,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “When the entire healthcare system moves together, we can spend less time on paperwork and more time getting patients the care they need.”