Prior authorization denied or missing
What it means
Either the plan refused advance approval for a service, or care already happened without the approval paperwork and the claim was denied for that reason alone.
Why insurers use it
Prior auth is a volume-control tool. Every denied or abandoned request is savings, and insurers know most people never appeal — only about 1 in 9 denied patients does.
The counter-strategy
Use only the decision deadline and missed-deadline consequence supplied by the resolved coverage pathway; both vary by program, urgency, drug channel, and appeal stage.
If care was urgent, invoke expedited review and the prudent layperson standard for emergencies.
For missing-auth denials on care already received: retroactive authorization requests plus evidence the service was medically necessary and time-sensitive.
Appeal anyway. Roughly 4 in 5 appealed Medicare Advantage prior-auth denials get overturned.
About 80% of appealed Medicare Advantage prior-auth denials are overturned (KFF analysis of CMS data). KFF analysis of CMS Medicare Advantage data, 2024 ↗ · National Medicare Advantage result; not directly comparable to publisher-specific CY2025 insurer rollups.
Rights that apply to this denial
Your Medicare Advantage plan must give you a written decision when it denies a service or payment. A standard service decision is due within…
The filing rule is 60 calendar days after receipt of the denial notice. Receipt is presumed 5 calendar days after the notice date unless the…
If your plan upholds its denial in whole or in part, it must forward your case to an Independent Review Entity without a separate patient fi…
For services or items not yet furnished, you may request expedited reconsideration orally or in writing. The plan must expedite when it dete…
If the IRE also says no and the amount in dispute meets the yearly threshold, you can request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge w…
If your health plan comes through a private employer, federal law gives you at least 180 days to appeal a denial. The plan must review your …