A new Alaska law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2026 that requires faster responses to prior authorization requests for certain treatments and services, the Alaska Beacon reported July 18.
Under the new law, payers are required to notify patients within 72 hours whether a request has been approved in routine cases, according to the report. For expedited requests, payers must provide a response within 24 hours.
The legislation gives payers up to 14 working days to obtain more information from providers if they determine there is a lack of sufficient information for prior authorization requests, according to the report.
The bill was passed unanimously by the Alaska House and Senate. The bill became law without Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s signature.
