Algorithms Decide Your Healthcare Coverage: A Growing Concern

Healthcare providers are increasingly relying on algorithms to review claims and decide medical coverage. These automated tools, often used by major health insurers like UnitedHealth Group, Humana, and Cigna, can lead to sudden rejections of critical care.

Lawsuits have alleged that companies use these algorithmic systems to deny patients necessary treatments, including pain medication and rehabilitation therapy. Even when physicians recommend prolonged therapy, software issues rapid denials.

According to Vox, 'exactly what went into making those predictions' remains entirely opaque, leaving doctors to argue with lines of computer code.

Patients are left bearing the emotional and financial costs of these algorithmic decisions. To fight back, patients can request their medical records, ask their physician to write a detailed letter supporting their medical necessity, and file an appeal as quickly as possible.