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John,
Imagine this: You’re recovering from a major surgery, and your doctor prescribes rehab care. Instead of another medical professional reviewing the request at your insurance company, a computer spits out a denial. No explanation. No human judgment. Just an algorithm deciding your health isn’t worth the cost.
That’s not some far-off dystopian future — it’s happening right now. Insurance plans managed by UnitedHealthcare, Humana, and CVS are already using AI to decide who gets care. And starting in 2026, traditional Medicare will roll out its own AI pilot program in six states.
The program is called the “Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model.” This isn’t about patient care. It’s about cutting costs at the expense of lives. We’ve already seen what happens when insurers use AI:
- Authorization denials have skyrocketed, in some cases by more than 100%.
- 16 times fewer patients received post-hospital rehab care.
- 94% of physicians say these denials harm patients’ health outcomes.
A Senate investigation recently found that AI use in health insurance isn’t saving patients money, and premiums are still going up.
If Congress doesn’t act now and ban health insurance companies from using AI to deny care, millions of Americans will be at risk. Sign on now to demand Congress act immediately.
Health care decisions should be made by doctors, not data scientists, not algorithms, and definitely not machines.
— Democratic Values
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