By Kimberly Lankford
From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
Depending on your health insurance policy, you may have noticed that you need to get permission from your insurer before it will pay for a medication, treatment or procedure your doctor prescribes—even if it’s covered by your plan. This extra step, called prior authorization, is becoming more common with most types of health insurance, including Medicare Advantage, employer coverage, and individual plans sold through HealthCare.gov or your state health insurance marketplace. When your health plan requires prior authorization, your doctor must provide evidence that the specific care is medically necessary and is the best course of action in your situation.
