# Payers with prior authorization metrics

URL: https://docs.healthcare.dev/reference/payers/payers-with-prior-authorization-metrics

```http
GET https://api.healthcare.dev/v1/payers
```

Builder plan and up (Free: a few preview calls a month, then 403 `plan-upgrade-required`). Health plans whose annual prior authorization metrics postings (CMS-0057-F) we hold: Medicare Advantage organizations, Medicaid and CHIP programs and plans, and QHP issuers. Filter by the level they report at (`type`), a state, or text (`q`: payer name or id, or a unit id such as a Medicare Advantage contract `H1036`). Sorted by name. Then `GET /v1/payers/{id}/prior-auth-metrics` for the numbers.

Requires an API key: `Authorization: Bearer hdev_live_...`. See [Authentication](/authentication).

## Query parameters

| Name | Type | Required | Description | Example |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `type` | "ma_contract" \| "medicaid_ffs_state" \| "medicaid_managed_care_plan" \| "chip_ffs_state" \| "chip_managed_care_plan" \| "qhp_issuer" | no | Only payers reporting at this level (e.g. `ma_contract`) | `ma_contract` |
| `state` | string | no | Only payers with a reporting unit in this state | `FL` |
| `q` | string | no | Payer name or id, or a unit id (`H1036`) | `humana` |
| `limit` | integer | no | Page size (max 100) | `25` |
| `cursor` | string | no | Opaque cursor from `links.next` |  |
| `view` | "compact" \| "standard" \| "full" | no | How much of each record to return (default `full`). `compact`: `id`, `name`, `years` (fewest tokens, for agents). `standard`: every field. `full`: every field. | `compact` |
| `fields` | string | no | Comma-separated fields to return instead of a view. Valid fields: `id`, `name`, `unit_types`, `states`, `unit_count`, `years`. | `id,name,years` |

## Examples

**curl**

```sh
curl "https://api.healthcare.dev/v1/payers?q=humana&limit=25" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HDEV_API_KEY"
```

**TypeScript**

```ts
const res = await fetch("https://api.healthcare.dev/v1/payers?q=humana&limit=25", {
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.HDEV_API_KEY}` },
});
const { data, meta } = await res.json();
```

**Python**

```python
import os
import requests

res = requests.get("https://api.healthcare.dev/v1/payers?q=humana&limit=25", headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['HDEV_API_KEY']}"})
body = res.json()
```

## Response

Payers, by name

```json
{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "string",
      "name": "string",
      "unit_types": [
        "ma_contract"
      ],
      "states": [
        "string"
      ],
      "unit_count": 1,
      "years": [
        1
      ]
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "source": "cms-icd10",
    "data_version": "2026.1",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-24T12:00:00Z",
    "license": "Public domain (CMS). Reference data, not medical advice."
  },
  "links": {
    "self": "/v1/payers?q=humana&limit=25",
    "next": "/v1/payers?q=humana&limit=25&cursor=eyJrIjoiRTExLjkifQ"
  }
}
```

### Fields

| Field | Type | Always present | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | string | yes | Stable payer id, e.g. `humana` |
| `name` | string | yes |  |
| `unit_types` | PayerUnitType[] | yes | The levels it reports at |
| `states` | string[] | yes | States of its units, where known |
| `unit_count` | integer | yes | Reporting units we hold postings for |
| `years` | integer[] | yes | Years with metrics, newest first |

## Errors

Errors are `application/problem+json` ([RFC 9457](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9457)). Branch on `type`, not on `title`. See [Errors](/errors).

| Status | `type` | When |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 400 | `invalid-request` | A parameter or the body failed validation; `errors` lists each field. |
| 401 | `unauthorized` | Missing, malformed or revoked API key. |
| 403 | `plan-upgrade-required` | The plan doesn't include this feature; `required_plan` names the plan that does. |
| 404 | `not-found` | No record with that id (retired records are still returned). |
| 429 | `rate-limited / quota-exceeded` | Too many requests per second (retry after `Retry-After`), or the monthly quota is used up. |
| 503 | `dataset-unavailable / unavailable` | The dataset has no published version yet, or the service is degraded. |