Friend,

We know that when it comes to getting patients the care they need, doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals know best. But President Donald Trump and Dr. Mehmet Oz want to let artificial intelligence choose which procedures Medicare will cover for individual patients—with insurance companies being paid based on how much money they save by denying people’s coverage.

AI shouldn’t be in charge of determining who gets care and who doesn’t. We must tell Congress to oppose this erosion of our traditional Medicare.

The Trump administration is attempting to transform Medicare into the very worst of private insurance. Medicare beneficiaries in Arizona, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Washington where this pilot is targeted will be subject to these private insurance-style policies as soon as January 2026. `

We already know prior authorizations do not improve patient care. In fact, studies show that 90 percent of doctors report prior authorization causes treatment delays, and one-third say these delays have resulted in serious adverse events for their patients. The worst part? These companies have an incentive to deny care to people who need it; the more prior authorization claims that these companies deny, the more they will be paid.

Medicare shouldn’t be used as a piggy bank to fund tax cuts for the rich. Older Americans should not be hurt as a result of tax cuts or a budget deficit. It’s time to put patients before profits.

Tell lawmakers in Congress to do everything they can to oppose the expansion of prior authorization in traditional Medicare.

I’m all for using AI to help patients get the care they need and for healthcare professionals to have all the tools available to meet their communities’ needs, but allowing AI programs to deny people the care that they need is wrong; and it’s an insult to retired and disabled Americans who deserve the best care from doctors and nurses. We will not allow this billionaire-led administration to turn our Medicare into a for-profit cash grab that prioritizes profits over patients.

Write to your members of Congress now and tell them to oppose AI-powered healthcare denials.

In unity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President