A growing number of states are passing laws that restrict how health insurers can use artificial intelligence when making coverage decisions, according to the National Law Review.
The publication reports that additional states have joined what it describes as a legislative trend, enacting new laws that limit the use of AI in health insurance determinations. In practice, these are the decisions that shape whether a treatment, procedure, or claim gets approved or denied.
The National Law Review frames the development as a continuation of momentum already underway, with more states now adding their own measures rather than acting in isolation. The common thread across the new laws is a focus on curbing, or setting guardrails around, the role automated systems play in determinations that directly affect patients' access to care.
The source item does not specify which states passed the laws, the exact provisions each contains, or when the measures take effect. What it establishes is the direction: state legislatures are increasingly treating AI in insurance decision-making as something that warrants legal limits rather than leaving it unregulated.
Why this matters: When an algorithm helps decide whether your insurer covers a treatment, the stakes are personal and immediate. As more states write rules around that process, insurers may face a patchwork of differing requirements, and patients could gain new protections over how much a machine, versus a human, has a say in their care.