(FRANKFORT, Ky.) (Jan. 14, 2026) — Kentucky health care providers could soon bypass some insurance approval requirements under legislation that cleared a key committee hurdle Wednesday after five years of development.
The House Banking and Insurance Committee unanimously approved House Bill 176, which would allow certain health care providers to be exempted from the prior authorization process—a requirement that physicians obtain insurer approval before providing specific treatments or procedures.
Rep. Kimberly Poore Moser, R-Taylor Mill, the bill’s primary sponsor, told committee members the legislation would establish a framework enabling insurers to set terms for exempting qualified providers from prior authorization requirements.
“It is a layer of bureaucracy that we seek to provide relief from for patients and health care providers,” Moser said, noting the current system is both costly and time-consuming.
The measure represents five years of collaborative work with insurance companies and other stakeholders, according to Moser.
“We are streamlining the prior authorization process, and we’re simply making it easier for Kentuckians to access the care which is prescribed for them from a health provider,” she said.
Under the bill, insurers would not be required to include prescriptions in exemption programs but could choose to do so. Behavioral health services are specifically included in the bill’s definition of health care providers.
Moser emphasized the legislation would reduce potentially dangerous delays in care while preserving insurers’ ability to set exemption program parameters.
The bill also mandates the Commissioner of the Department of Insurance produce annual reports on prior authorizations.
Cory Meadows, deputy executive vice president of the Kentucky Medical Association, told lawmakers the legislation mirrors programs in other states and would not disrupt existing Kentucky programs. Moser added that the bill includes Kentucky-specific provisions.
Rep. Chad Aull, D-Lexington, questioned whether the legislation aligns with programs in other states, prompting Meadows’ affirmative response.
The bill now advances to the full House for consideration.
