Medicare for All

Insurers are using artificial intelligence algorithms to help determine whether patients receive coverage for medical care, according to a Vox report covering UnitedHealth, Medicare, Cigna and Humana. The practice is drawing criticism from patients and clinicians who say automated denials can wrongly block necessary treatment and are difficult to appeal.

The Trump administration is expanding the use of artificial intelligence to decide whether Medicare Advantage claims for seniors are approved, and critics call it a disastrous experiment. Ars Technica reports that vendors rolling out AI denial systems have an incentive to deny as many claims as possible, since they profit when care is refused. Critics warn the tools are being used to override doctors' judgments and systematically reject legitimate care for older Americans.

A group of senators is demanding that OpenAI's chief appear before an official inquiry following a reported breach involving Medicare data. The lawmakers want the company's leadership to answer questions about how sensitive health information was exposed and what safeguards were lacking. The summons escalates scrutiny of OpenAI's data handling practices and could set a precedent for how governments hold AI firms accountable over security failures affecting citizens' personal records.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has revealed that OpenAI was involved in a breach of Medicare, according to reporting by the Sydney Morning Herald. The disclosure raises questions about how the US artificial intelligence company accessed government health data and what the breach means for the security of Australians' medical records. Details about the scale of the breach and any response remain limited.