Healthcare
Trump's AI Prior Authorization Pilot for Medicare Seniors Faces Mounting Failures
A new federal program using artificial intelligence to approve or block medical care for Medicare patients has triggered complaints of delays, denials, and patient suffering since its January launch.
Ars Technica
The Trump administration launched an AI-powered pilot program in January that requires Medicare patients to obtain pre-approval for certain medical treatments—a requirement the program previously did not impose on seniors seeking care. The initiative has almost immediately generated reports of significant operational problems and patient harm.
Program troubles mount#
Since rollout, the system has been plagued by technical glitches, care delays, and unexpected treatment denials. Physicians and healthcare providers have aired frustrations, while patients reported waiting in pain for care decisions. The Electronic Frontier Foundation published federal documents obtained through litigation that included candid feedback from healthcare workers, with one calling the program "a disgrace to the human race" and describing patients in tears as they awaited authorization.
Legal and political pushback#
The Government Accountability Office determined in May that Trump officials failed to follow proper procedures when launching the initiative, putting its legal standing in question. Democratic lawmakers have attempted to compel the release of more details and have sought to halt the program altogether. Last week, a committee vote to pressure the administration for additional documentation failed along party lines, with Republican lawmakers blocking the effort.
Representative Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) characterized the administration's resistance to transparency, saying in a statement that "the more that Americans learn about WISeR, the more outraged they get at the Trump administration for jeopardizing their care and trying to privatize Medicare."
Program scope and timeline#
The system, officially titled WISeR (Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction), aims to use machine learning to guard against improper Medicare payments while reducing fraud and waste. It currently operates in six states—New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and Washington—with plans to continue through the end of 2031.
