Prior Authorization (PA)
The document your doctor sends the insurer to prove you need the medicine.
Definition
A document your doctor sends to the insurance company to prove you actually need the medicine.
Why it matters
A PA turns on three things: the diagnosis code, the documented comorbidity, and the documented diet history. Denials are appealable, and the appeal is usually where these are won.
Also called
PA, Prior Auth
Source: this entry is drawn from “Access” in FAT BITCH: Killing the Willpower Myth by Cat Clark (UNLIT Publishing, October 15, 2026). The full chapter has the context this page does not. Get on The First Copy List and we send the order link the day it goes live.
None of this is medical advice. It is educational material drawn from FAT BITCH: Killing the Willpower Myth by Cat Clark, and it does not replace your prescriber, your pharmacist, or your actual doctor. If something here does not match what your care team told you, go with your care team and bring this along to the conversation.