Trump administration uses AI to deny seniors medical care in disastrous experiment
| Source: Mastodon | Original article
The Trump administration rolled out an AI program in May that erroneously denied medical care to seniors, prompting calls for congressional accountability.
The Trump administration’s pilot that uses artificial intelligence to approve or deny Medicare services has sparked a bipartisan outcry after it was rolled out in January without notifying Congress. The program, overseen by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) under Administrator Mehmet Oz, was intended to “enhance technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)” for decisions on select medical services in six states. Early reports describe the rollout as “error‑filled” and “disastrous,” with seniors reportedly denied care that should have been covered.
Lawmakers say the lack of congressional notification violates the Administrative Procedure Act and raises concerns about transparency, accountability and patient safety. Senate Democrats, led by Senators Wyden, Gillibrand and Blumenthal, have filed resolutions demanding an immediate halt to the experiment. In September, Senator Gallego called for a stop, and in December introduced legislation to bar CMS from implementing the WISeR (Weighted Incentive System for Electronic Review) model that underpins the AI system. Critics argue the model incentivises contractors to use AI‑driven determinations to maximise profit at the expense of seniors’ health.
The controversy builds on earlier coverage of AI’s role in medical decision‑making, where we reported on the broader implications of algorithmic triage for patient care. The Senate is set to vote later today on measures to suspend the pilot and impose stricter oversight of AI use in Medicare. Watch for the outcome of that vote, the progress of the proposed legislation, and any further disclosures from CMS about the system’s error rate and remediation plans. The episode underscores the growing tension between rapid AI deployment in public services and the need for robust governance.
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