Prior authorization continues to delay and disrupt care for patients across the United States
A recent national poll from the PAN Foundation’s Center for Patient Research finds that most Americans living with a chronic condition (58 percent) had to request prior authorization at least once within the past year, with 4 out of 10 needed to request it two or more times (41 percent). Among those that required a prior authorization, 27 percent waited over a week for an insurance decision, and 32 percent waited over a week to receive prescribed care.
Other key findings include:
- Among those who required a prior authorization, more than 1 in 3 (34 percent) were told it was approved—only to be denied later.
- These delays can have larger consequences, with around 1 in 4 delaying treatment (25 percent) and not appealing their insurer’s decision (28 percent).
- Individuals spending the most time dealing with the prior authorization process include patients’ healthcare providers or their staff (41 percent) and the patient (30 percent).
“This new polling reinforces the harm prior authorization requirements cause patients, often delaying and disrupting the care they need,” said Amy Niles, Chief Mission Officer at the PAN Foundation. “In addition, prior authorization puts an extreme administrative burden on providers, who are already stretched thin. This is why the PAN Foundation continues to call on Congress, along with public and private insurers, to put patients first by streamlining and reducing prior authorization practices. Because everyone deserves timely access to care.”
Resources
Polling methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States between February 10-12, 2026, among 2,081 adults (aged 18 and over), including 1,272 who self-report being having any chronic health condition, by The Harris Poll on behalf of PAN Foundation via its Harris On Demand omnibus product. Data were weighted where necessary by age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, marital status, household size, household income, and political party affiliation, to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within ± 2.7 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to other multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including, but not limited to coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments.
About the PAN Foundation
As a leading charitable foundation and healthcare advocacy organization, the PAN Foundation is dedicated to accelerating access to treatment for those who need it most and empowering patients on their healthcare journeys. We provide critical financial assistance for treatment costs, advocate for policy solutions that expand access to care, and deliver education on complex topics—all driven by our belief that everyone deserves access to affordable, equitable healthcare.
Since 2004, our financial assistance programs have helped more than 1.3 million people to start or stay on life-changing treatment. In addition, we’ve achieved major policy victories that increase access to care, mobilized patient advocates to call for change, and educated people nationwide on critical healthcare-related topics. We’re committed to working towards a future where equitable health outcomes are a reality for all. To learn more, visit panfoundation.org.