Staff report

State Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, introduced legislation to provide transparency for medical patients on the use of artificial intelligence by health plan providers related to prior authorizations.

“Making sure there is human oversight on whether an individual receives health coverage is common sense,” Cutrona said. “While the use of new technology is a good thing, this bill ensures that health insurers will be accountable to explain the use of AI in how they reach their decisions.”

Cutrona’s proposal would require human oversight and the submission of an annual report to disclose the use of algorithms in considering prior authorization, which requires health care professionals to obtain advanced approval from insurance companies before a prescription medication or medical service receives qualification for payment.

The bill was referred to the Senate Financial Institutions Technology Committee.