Free Republic

A controversial AI program used to deny elderly people health coverage is now at the center of questions about the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO. ……. UnitedHealthcare became the largest denier of insurance plans in 2023, dismissing one in every three claims. It has now emerged that during the years before that, the company implemented AI software that had a 90 percent denial rate. A lawsuit has claimed the software led to the deaths of at least two men who were elderly patients denied post care following a stroke and fall. UnitedHealthcare is said to have launched the nH Predict...

Although artificial intelligence is in its early stages in the health-care industry, it already has triggered legal action. A class-action lawsuit filed on Tuesday alleges that UnitedHealthcare used an artificial intelligence algorithm to wrongfully deny coverage under Medicare Advantage health policies. The insurer made health-care determinations using its nH Predict algorithm, overrode physician recommendations, and denied elderly patients’ claims for stays in extended-care facilities, according to the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. The plaintiffs also alleged the technology lets the company “aggressively deny coverage, because they know they will not be held accountable for...