DEAR EDITOR:

I’m writing this letter to inform Ohio residents that in January 2026, Ohio and five other states will be a part of an unconscionable pilot program. This program, named “Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Rejection — WISeR Model,” will use artificial intelligence (AI), to determine whether prescribed medical procedures are eligible for Medicare coverage.

The federal government plans to hire private AI companies to determine whether patients would be covered for certain procedures.

These companies would have financial incentives to DENY claims, because Medicare plans to pay them a share of Medicare savings. These payments would be generated based on rejections made by the AI companies.

This is an obvious conflict of interest!

Original Medicare recipients in the six states, which include Ohio, “will likely face delay or denial of essential treatments.” Allowing computer algorithms to determine need for care, rather than a qualified doctor, is subjecting patients to diagnosis and treatment based on sAI. The private Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies will receive financial gains based on Rejections of procedures and treatments!

Call your representatives to demand cancellation of the WISeR program to ensure that Medicare patients receive quality care rather than using profiting “AI death panels” to determine medical coverage! Reach out to U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno (202-224-2315), U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (202-224-3353) and U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli (202-225-5705).

ELIZABETH BRAHAM

North Lima