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Bill would crack down on prior authorization insurance delays

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State lawmakers want to crack down on an insurance practice that requires people to wait for approval for medical treatments.

The practice is known as prior authorization. Patients often have to wait days or weeks to find out if their insurance company will cover the treatment or medication their doctor recommends. A bill introduced Tuesday would restrict that practice.

It calls for time limits for insurance companies to provide approvals, and it would require doctors working for the insurance companies to be licensed and regulated in North Carolina.

Representative Grant Campbell, who's also a doctor, says prior authorizations often lead to treatment delays and negative health outcomes.

"The parade of people that are trying to interfere with the relationship of the patient and their physician has got to stop," he said, "And this is one of the great first steps to do that."

Republicans in the Senate have also introduced a bill to reform the prior authorization process. They're proposing less drastic changes to the current system, which insurance companies say helps reduce premium costs.