{"id":669700,"date":"2025-07-25T07:00:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T11:00:10","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-09-12T12:48:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T16:48:33","slug":"kff-health-tracking-poll-public-finds-prior-authorization-process-difficult-to-manage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/patient-consumer-protections\/kff-health-tracking-poll-public-finds-prior-authorization-process-difficult-to-manage\/","title":{"rendered":"KFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Finds Prior Authorization Process Difficult to Manage"},"content":{"rendered":"<div\n\tclass=\"wp-block-kff-shared-content--standard-layout wp-block-kff-shared-content\">\n\t\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-content-main\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"post-header\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"post-header__tag\">Poll Finding<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<h1 class=\"post-header__title\">KFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Finds Prior Authorization Process Difficult to Manage<\/h1>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"post-header__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"post-header__meta-label\">\n\t\t\t\tAuthors:\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/person\/grace-sparks\/\">Grace Sparks<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/person\/julian-montalvo\/\">Julian Montalvo III<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/person\/shannon-schumacher\/\">Shannon Schumacher<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/person\/ashley-kirzinger\/\">Ashley Kirzinger<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/person\/liz-hamel\/\">Liz Hamel<\/a> \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"post-header__meta-label\">Published:<\/span>\n\t\t\t<date>Jul 25, 2025<\/date>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"post-header__social-sharing\">\n\t\t<button class=\"post-header__social-sharing__button print\">\n\t\t\t<svg width=\"16\" height=\"17\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n\t\t\t\t<path d=\"M4.348 2.5v3.391H2.783A.787.787 0 0 0 2 6.674v4.696c0 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href=\"mailto:?subject=KFF%20Health%20Tracking%20Poll%3A%20Public%20Finds%20Prior%20Authorization%20Process%20Difficult%20to%20Manage&#038;body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kff.org%2Fpatient-consumer-protections%2Fkff-health-tracking-poll-public-finds-prior-authorization-process-difficult-to-manage%2F\" class=\"post-header__social-sharing__button\">\n\t\t\t<svg width=\"16\" height=\"17\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n\t\t\t\t<path d=\"M2.333 4.25h-.25v9.14h12.5V4.25H2.333Zm1.083 1.693-.353-.2V5.23h10.54v.513l-.353.2L8.333 8.73 3.416 5.943Zm-.353 6.467V6.884l.107.06 5.04 2.857.123.07.123-.07 5.04-2.857.107-.06v5.526H3.063Z\" fill=\"#004B88\" stroke=\"#004B88\" stroke-width=\".5\"\/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<button class=\"post-header__social-sharing__button copy\">\n\t\t\t<svg width=\"16\" height=\"17\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n\t\t\t\t<path d=\"M11.533 2.9c-.615 0-1.23.235-1.697.702L8.502 4.936a2.4 2.4 0 0 0-.575 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data-index=\"1\" data-uuid=\"61a82d6f-0915-4a1f-9c7e-1e474e2d0402\">\n\t<a href=\"#61a82d6f-0915-4a1f-9c7e-1e474e2d0402\" \n\t\tclass=\"toc-top-level__button\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<span class=\"toc-top-level__number\">1.<\/span>\n\t\t<span class=\"toc-top-level__title\">Findings<\/span>\n\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<ul class=\"toc-headings\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"toc-headings__item toc-headings__item--level-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#61a82d6f-0915-4a1f-9c7e-1e474e2d0402--h-key-takeaways\" \n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"toc-headings__button\" \n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tKey Takeaways\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"toc-headings__item toc-headings__item--level-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#61a82d6f-0915-4a1f-9c7e-1e474e2d0402--h-prior-authorizations\" \n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"toc-headings__button\" \n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tPrior Authorizations\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"toc-top-level__item wp-block-tenup-table-of-contents-item\" data-index=\"2\" data-uuid=\"c51069cd-1c1e-446e-9c0d-7d67795924a2\">\n\t<a href=\"#c51069cd-1c1e-446e-9c0d-7d67795924a2\" \n\t\tclass=\"toc-top-level__button\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<span class=\"toc-top-level__number\">2.<\/span>\n\t\t<span class=\"toc-top-level__title\">Methodology<\/span>\n\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-tenup-table-of-contents-content\">\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-block-tenup-table-of-contents-content\">\n<div class=\"toc-section wp-block-tenup-table-of-contents-section\" id=\"61a82d6f-0915-4a1f-9c7e-1e474e2d0402\" data-uuid=\"61a82d6f-0915-4a1f-9c7e-1e474e2d0402\">\n\t<h2 class=\"toc-section__title\">Findings<\/h2>\n\t\n<div data-uuid=\"61a82d6f-0915-4a1f-9c7e-1e474e2d0402\" class=\"wp-block-tenup-table-of-contents-section\"><div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-key-takeaways\">Key Takeaways<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">A large majority of the public (73%) think that delays and denials of services and treatments by health insurance companies are a major problem. Majorities across demographic groups agree that denials and delays of care are a major problem, with at least two-thirds across income groups and majorities across partisanship. Six in ten (57%) Republicans, eight in ten (79%) independents, and over eight in ten (84%) Democrats consider delays and denials of services by health insurance companies to be a major problem.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">In June, a group of health insurance companies, along with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Administrator of the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz, announced a voluntary initiative to reduce the burden of prior authorizations for patients, but few people have heard of the initiative to reduce the burden of prior authorizations. Just two in ten (20%) adults say they\u2019ve heard \u201ca lot\u201d or \u201csome\u201d about this new initiative. In addition, few people think it\u2019s likely that health insurance companies will follow through on this pledge, with six in ten adults saying it is \u201cnot too likely\u201d or \u201cnot at all likely\u201d that health insurance companies will follow through on the voluntary initiative in a way that makes a difference for patients.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">The process of getting prior authorizations feels burdensome for many. Among the half (51%) of insured adults who say they have had to get a prior authorization in the past 2 years, many report difficulty navigating the process. Almost half (47%) of those who were required to get a prior authorization in the past two years say it was \u201csomewhat difficult\u201d (34%) or \u201cvery difficult\u201d (13%) to navigate the process of getting prior approval for a health care service, treatment, or needed medication.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-prior-authorizations\">Prior Authorizations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recently, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Administrator of the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz joined with insurance companies to <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/5-takeaways-from-insurers-pledge-to-improve-prior-authorization\/\">announce a new voluntary initiative<\/a> in which dozens of health insurance companies pledged to reduce the burden of prior authorizations. The pledge included promises from health insurance companies to require prior authorization less often, speed up the review process, and use clear language when communicating with patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pledge addresses an issue that most of the public views as a problem. Three-quarters (73%) of adults say that delays and denials of health care services by health insurance companies are \u201ca major problem,\u201d with another two in ten (21%) who say it\u2019s \u201ca minor problem.\u201d Few adults (6%) don\u2019t think delays or denials are a problem. Majorities across partisans agree, including large majorities of Democrats (84%) and independents (79%) and over half of Republicans (57%) saying delays or denials of care by insurance companies are a major problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In fact, agreement spans many demographic groups, with at least two-thirds across income groups and insurance type saying delays and denials of care by insurance providers are a major problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"datawrapper-embed block--datawrapper-embed \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"min-height: 704px;\">\n\t\t\t<script\n\t\t\t\ttype=\"text\/javascript\"\n\t\t\t\tdefer\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/2SRnb\/embed.js?v=14\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\tclass=\"datawrapper-embed__print-img\"\n\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/2SRnb\/full.png\"\n\t\t\talt=\"Large Majorities Across Partisanship, Income, and Insurance Type Consider Delays and Denials of Health Care Services by Insurance Companies a Major Problem\"\n\t\t\/>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Very few adults have heard of the newly announced initiative to reduce the burden of prior authorizations, with two in ten saying they\u2019ve heard \u201ca lot\u201d or \u201csome\u201d about it. Another quarter (23%) have heard \u201ca little,\u201d while more than half (56%) have heard \u201cnothing at all\u201d about the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adults under age 65 who purchase their own insurance are more likely to say they have heard about the initiative, with a third (35%) saying so compared to one in seven (14%) of those who have employer-sponsored insurance. About two in ten of adults under age 65 with Medicaid (23%) and those ages 65 and older with Medicare (22%) say they\u2019ve heard \u201ca lot\u201d or \u201csome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"datawrapper-embed block--datawrapper-embed \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"min-height: 671px;\">\n\t\t\t<script\n\t\t\t\ttype=\"text\/javascript\"\n\t\t\t\tdefer\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/5Z9lr\/embed.js?v=14\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\tclass=\"datawrapper-embed__print-img\"\n\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/5Z9lr\/full.png\"\n\t\t\talt=\"Large Majorities Across Partisanship Have Not Heard of the Health Insurance Initiative To Reduce Burden of Prior Authorizations\"\n\t\t\/>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Few people think it\u2019s likely that health insurance companies will follow through on this pledge in a meaningful way. Six in ten adults say it is \u201cnot too likely\u201d or \u201cnot at all likely\u201d that health insurance companies will follow through on the voluntary initiative in a way that makes a difference for patients. Republicans are more likely than Democrats or independents to believe insurance companies will follow through, though still a very small share (9%) think it\u2019s \u201cvery likely\u201d, while about half (47%) think it\u2019s \u201csomewhat likely.\u201d Two-thirds (67%) of independents and seven in ten (71%) Democrats think it is not likely insurance companies will follow through in a meaningful way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"datawrapper-embed block--datawrapper-embed \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"min-height: 521px;\">\n\t\t\t<script\n\t\t\t\ttype=\"text\/javascript\"\n\t\t\t\tdefer\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/SUh4L\/embed.js?v=14\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\tclass=\"datawrapper-embed__print-img\"\n\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/SUh4L\/full.png\"\n\t\t\talt=\"Few Think It\u2019s Likely That Health Insurance Companies Will Follow Through on Initiative To Reduce Burden of Prior Authorizations\"\n\t\t\/>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-experiences-with-prior-authorizations\">Experiences with Prior Authorizations<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One reason why most adults may see prior authorization as a problem may be because many people have had to deal with them and found them difficult to navigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Half (51%) of insured adults say that in the past two years, their health insurance company has required them or their health care provider to get prior authorization before they could receive a health care service, treatment, or medication that they needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are no significant differences by insurance type in the share who report needing prior authorization, with about half across types of insurance saying they were required to get approval before they could get a service, treatment, or medication in the past two years. While traditional Medicare typically does not require prior authorizations for most services and medications, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/medicare\/issue-brief\/nearly-50-million-prior-authorization-requests-were-sent-to-medicare-advantage-insurers-in-2023\/\">Medicare Advantage<\/a> does require prior authorizations for enrollees seeking certain services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"datawrapper-embed block--datawrapper-embed \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"min-height: 437px;\">\n\t\t\t<script\n\t\t\t\ttype=\"text\/javascript\"\n\t\t\t\tdefer\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/qFdA2\/embed.js?v=14\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\tclass=\"datawrapper-embed__print-img\"\n\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/qFdA2\/full.png\"\n\t\t\talt=\"Half of Insured Adults Have Been Required To Get Prior Authorization Before Receiving a Treatment or Service in the Past Two Years\"\n\t\t\/>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among those who face prior authorization, many report difficulty navigating the process. Almost half (47%) of those who experienced a need for prior authorization in the past two years say it was \u201csomewhat difficult\u201d (34%) or \u201cvery difficult\u201d (13%) to navigate the process of getting prior approval for a health care service, treatment, or needed medication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"datawrapper-embed block--datawrapper-embed \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"min-height: 442px;\">\n\t\t\t<script\n\t\t\t\ttype=\"text\/javascript\"\n\t\t\t\tdefer\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/ocbl1\/embed.js?v=14\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\tclass=\"datawrapper-embed__print-img\"\n\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/ocbl1\/full.png\"\n\t\t\talt=\"Half Say Process of Getting Prior Approval for Health Care Was Difficult\"\n\t\t\/>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many people also report experiencing delays or denials of services when they are subject to prior insurance authorization. Among all of those who reported needing prior authorization in the past two years, about half say their health insurance company has delayed their ability to get (48%, 24% of all insured adults) or denied coverage (43%, 22% of all insured adults) for a service, treatment, or medication that their doctor requested. Among all insured adults, three in ten (29%) say their health insurance company has delayed or denied their ability to get a service, treatment, or medication that they or their doctor requested in the past two years. These shares are similar across insurance types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"datawrapper-embed block--datawrapper-embed \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"min-height: 519px;\">\n\t\t\t<script\n\t\t\t\ttype=\"text\/javascript\"\n\t\t\t\tdefer\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/bak1C\/embed.js?v=14\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\tclass=\"datawrapper-embed__print-img\"\n\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/bak1C\/full.png\"\n\t\t\talt=\"Three in Ten Had Their Insurance Company Deny or Delay Needed Care, Treatment, or Medication in the Past Two Years\"\n\t\t\/>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/medicare\/issue-brief\/nearly-50-million-prior-authorization-requests-were-sent-to-medicare-advantage-insurers-in-2023\/\">administrative data provides a lower instance<\/a> of delays or denials in care than what individuals self-report in the latest KFF Tracking Poll, possibly due to misreporting or initial denial that was eventually approved, it is clear that many people feel like the process has delayed their care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/policy-watch\/examining-prior-authorization-in-health-insurance\/\">Some services are more often subject to prior authorization<\/a>, including surgery, hospitalization, imaging services, specialty drugs, specialty medical equipment, care from a specialist, specialized lab testing, and mental health services. These individuals (69% of insured adults) report higher rates of prior authorization, delays, and denials of care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Six in ten (62%) insured adults who say they needed at least one of these types of specialized care report that they were required to get prior authorization for a service, treatment, or medication in the past two years. More than half of this group (58%, 36% of all insured adults who needed specialized care) say their insurance delayed or denied their treatment, including 30% who experienced a delay, and 27% who experienced a denial.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"toc-section wp-block-tenup-table-of-contents-section\" id=\"c51069cd-1c1e-446e-9c0d-7d67795924a2\" data-uuid=\"c51069cd-1c1e-446e-9c0d-7d67795924a2\">\n\t<h2 class=\"toc-section__title\">Methodology<\/h2>\n\t\n<div data-uuid=\"c51069cd-1c1e-446e-9c0d-7d67795924a2\" class=\"wp-block-tenup-table-of-contents-section\"><div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This <em>KFF Health Tracking Poll\/KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust <\/em>was designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at KFF. The survey was conducted July 8-14, 2025, online and by telephone among a nationally representative sample of 1,283 U.S. adults in English (<em>n=1,212<\/em>) and in Spanish (<em>n=71<\/em>). The sample includes 1,004 adults (<em>n=58 <\/em>in Spanish) reached through the SSRS Opinion Panel either online (<em>n=979<\/em>) or over the phone (<em>n=25<\/em>). The SSRS Opinion Panel is a nationally representative probability-based panel where panel members are recruited randomly in one of two ways: (a) Through invitations mailed to respondents randomly sampled from an Address-Based Sample (ABS) provided by Marketing Systems Groups (MSG) through the U.S. Postal Service\u2019s Computerized Delivery Sequence (CDS); (b) from a dual-frame random digit dial (RDD) sample provided by MSG. For the online panel component, invitations were sent to panel members by email followed by up to three reminder emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another 279 (<em>n=13<\/em> in Spanish) adults were reached through random digit dial telephone sample of prepaid cell phone numbers obtained through MSG. Phone numbers used for the prepaid cell phone component were randomly generated from a cell phone sampling frame with disproportionate stratification aimed at reaching Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black respondents. Stratification was based on incidence of the race\/ethnicity groups within each frame. Among this prepaid cell phone component, 135 were interviewed by phone and 144 were invited to the web survey via short message service (SMS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Respondents in the prepaid cell phone sample who were interviewed by phone received a $15 incentive via a check received by mail. Respondents in the prepaid cell phone sample reached via SMS received a $10 electronic gift card incentive. SSRS Opinion Panel respondents received a $5 electronic gift card incentive (some harder-to-reach groups received a $10 electronic gift card). In order to ensure data quality, cases were removed if they failed two or more quality checks: (1) attention check questions in the online version of the questionnaire, (2) had over 30% item non-response, or (3) had a length less than one quarter of the mean length by mode. Based on this criterion, 1 case was removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The combined cell phone and panel samples were weighted to match the sample\u2019s demographics to the national U.S. adult population using data from the Census Bureau\u2019s 2024 Current Population Survey (CPS), September 2023 Volunteering and Civic Life Supplement data from the CPS, and the 2025 KFF Benchmarking Survey with ABS and prepaid cell phone samples. The demographic variables included in weighting for the general population sample are gender, age, education, race\/ethnicity, region, civic engagement, frequency of internet use, political party identification by race\/ethnicity, and education. The weights account for differences in the probability of selection for each sample type (prepaid cell phone and panel). This includes adjustment for the sample design and geographic stratification of the cell phone sample, within household probability of selection, and the design of the panel-recruitment procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The margin of sampling error including the design effect for the full sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points. Numbers of respondents and margins of sampling error for key subgroups are shown in the table below. For results based on other subgroups, the margin of sampling error may be higher. Sample sizes and margins of sampling error for other subgroups are available on request. Sampling error is only one of many potential sources of error and there may be other unmeasured error in this or any other public opinion poll. KFF public opinion and survey research is a charter member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/aapor.org\/standards-and-ethics\/transparency-initiative\/\">Transparency Initiative of the American Association for Public Opinion Research<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"advgb-table-wrapper\">\n<table class=\"wp-block-advgb-table advgb-table-frontend\"><tbody><tr><td style=\"background-color:#e5e5e5\"><strong>Group<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"background-color:#e5e5e5\"><strong>N (unweighted)<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"background-color:#e5e5e5\"><strong>M.O.S.E.<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Total<\/td><td>1,283<\/td><td>\u00b1 3 percentage points<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Party ID<\/strong><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Democrats<\/td><td>439<\/td><td>\u00b1 6 percentage points<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Independents<\/td><td>387<\/td><td>\u00b1 6 percentage points<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Republicans<\/td><td>344<\/td><td>\u00b1 6 percentage points<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>MAGA Republicans<\/strong><\/td><td>308<\/td><td>\u00b1 7 percentage points<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"post-footer\">\n\t<div class=\"post-footer__title\">More On<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"post-footer__links\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/topic\/medicaid\/\">\n\t\t\t\tMedicaid\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/topic\/patient-consumer-protections\/\">\n\t\t\t\tPatient and Consumer Protections\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/topic\/private-insurance\/\">\n\t\t\t\tPrivate Insurance\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/topic\/public-opinion\/\">\n\t\t\t\tPublic Opinion\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/tag\/access-to-care\/\">\n\t\t\t\tAccess to Care\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/tag\/medicare-advantage\/\">\n\t\t\t\tMedicare Advantage\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/tag\/prior-authorization\/\">\n\t\t\t\tPrior Authorization\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-content-sidebar\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-slab--blue wp-block-kff-shared-slab\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-slab__heading\">DOWNLOAD<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-share-slab__content\">\n\t\t\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-d6932ce4-33a6-4ff7-9d89-698f29895c1c\" href=\"https:\/\/files.kff.org\/attachment\/Topline-KFF-Health-Tracking-Poll-July-2025.pdf\">\n\t\tTOPLINE &amp; METHODOLOGY\t<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/files.kff.org\/attachment\/Topline-KFF-Health-Tracking-Poll-July-2025.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-d6932ce4-33a6-4ff7-9d89-698f29895c1c\">\n\t\tDownload\n\t<\/a><\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-related-content--green wp-block-kff-shared-related-content\">\n\t<h2 class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-related-content__heading\">Also of Interest<\/h2>\n\t<div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-related-content__card\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/medicaid\/kff-health-tracking-poll-public-views-on-recent-tax-and-budget-legislation\/\" class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-related-content__link\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-related-content__card-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\tKFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Views on Recent Tax and Budget Legislation\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-related-content__card\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/health-costs\/kff-health-tracking-poll-public-weighs-health-care-spending-and-other-priorities-for-incoming-administration\/\" class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-related-content__link\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-related-content__card-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\tKFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Weighs Health Care Spending and Other Priorities for Incoming Administration\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-related-content__card\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/health-information-trust\/kff-tracking-poll-on-health-information-and-trust-covid-19-vaccine-update\/\" class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-related-content__link\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-related-content__card-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\tKFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: COVID-19 Vaccine Update\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/section>\n\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Following a pledge by insurance companies to reduce the burden of prior authorizations, KFF&#8217;s Health Tracking Poll examines the publics experience with the process. The poll finds that most view insurers&#8217; delays and denials as a problem, and few are aware of the newly announced pledge. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":155412924,"featured_media":669805,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"authors":[{"type":"foundation","id":508971,"name":""},{"type":"foundation","id":629907,"name":""},{"type":"foundation","id":555445,"name":""},{"type":"foundation","id":175242,"name":""},{"type":"foundation","id":49520,"name":""}],"exhibits":[],"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_classifai_error":"","_classifai_text_to_speech_error":"","hide_from_search":false,"show_featured_image":false,"subheading":"","tag":"","search_keywords":"Poll Finding, 10782, Grace Sparks, Julian Montalvo III, Shannon Schumacher, Ashley Kirzinger, Liz Hamel","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"shortlink":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[140023,579145441,1286878,63719],"tags":[632330,4546387,579145436],"series":[9252293],"partner":[],"content-types":[579145486,579145481],"program":[155109732],"class_list":["post-669700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medicaid","category-patient-consumer-protections","category-private-insurance","category-public-opinion","tag-access-to-care","tag-medicare-advantage","tag-prior-authorization","series-health-tracking-poll","content-types-feature","content-types-poll-finding","program-public-opinion-and-survey-research"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>KFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Finds Prior Authorization Process Difficult to Manage | KFF<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Following a pledge by insurance companies to reduce the burden of prior authorizations, KFF&#039;s Health Tracking Poll examines the publics experience with the process. 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