Insurers' AI: The Hidden Decider of Your Health Coverage

In recent years, health insurance providers have been quietly adopting artificial intelligence (AI) to manage your healthcare claims. These AI systems are not just about speeding up processes; they're making crucial decisions about what treatments get covered and how much care you're entitled to. This shift has raised eyebrows, especially when it comes to something called prior authorization. This is when your doctor needs a green light from your insurer before they can provide the care you need. More often than not, an AI algorithm is the one giving the thumbs up or down. The impact of these AI decisions can be huge. If your insurer says no to a treatment your doctor recommends, you're left with a few tough choices. You can try to fight the decision, but that can be a long, expensive battle. You can settle for a different treatment that your insurer will pay for, or you can pay for the recommended treatment yourself. But let's be real, who can afford that? The worry is that these AI systems might be used to hold back care that should be covered, all in the name of saving a few bucks. There's talk that insurers might use these algorithms to delay or deny care for serious, long-term, or terminal health problems. This could mean older adults or people with chronic illnesses might face big health issues without the care they need. It's a tough reality that needs a closer look. The sad part is, these AI tools are mostly unregulated. Unlike medical algorithms, they don't have to go through any checks to see if they're safe or fair. This means we're in the dark about how these tools make decisions. Some states and federal agencies are trying to change this, but there's still a long way to go. The push for regulation is on, but it's a slow process. Meanwhile, patients are left waiting, hoping their claims get approved in time.