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I’m at the age where after a doctor鈥檚 visit I鈥檒l get a form letter basically saying — we just paid one of your medical bills, please prove it’s legitimate.

The medical insurance companies are trying to control fraud of course, but it makes you feel like a criminal for daring to see a doctor. I accept it 鈥� like I accept my TSA patdowns at the airport.

However, this system is now taking a disturbing turn鈥� thanks to AI.

An article from Kaiser Health News tells the story of Judith Sullivan, who was in a nursing home recovering from surgery when she got a letter from her Medicare Advantage plan informing her that they would stop paying for her nursing care because she was well enough to go home.

And it turns out that her insurer, United Healthcare 鈥� full disclosure, also my insurer 鈥� uses an Artificial Intelligence tool to predict when patients should be ready to go home. The A-I examines millions of medical records, finds patients with the same medical issues, and then estimates how long it should take you to recover.

It鈥檚 similar to the way the IRS flags potential tax cheats.

They want to flag hospitals that might try to make an extra buck by keeping perfectly healthy people strapped in their beds.

Well, speaking as someone who鈥檚 had to recover from major surgery, I鈥檇 have bolted from the hospital the moment I came to鈥� if it hadn鈥檛 been for the tubes stitched to my body. Why would anyone hang around a hospital longer than they have to? Unless they REALLY love the Jell-O?

United Health wouldn鈥檛 answer questions about the case鈥� but obviously this is how those plans can charge lower premiums. They cut expenses.

More Dave: To celebrate the new I-90 ramp meters, a return of the Zipper Merge song!

In Judith Sullivan鈥檚 case, there鈥檚 a semi-happy ending 鈥� her nursing home agreed to keep her for another 18 days, even though her insurance wouldn鈥檛 pay.

So she鈥檚 back at home and is healthy enough to sue her Medicare Advantage plan to reimburse her for the bill, which came to $10,406.36.

So far, however, the courts have sided with the company. I鈥檓 guessing that like most of us, she didn鈥檛 read the fine print in her insurance plan.

But come January, new federal rules will require that if your Medicare Advantage plan cuts you off, you have to be cut off by a human being who knows your case, not by an oblivious computer. That鈥檚 reassuring, right?

By the way, according to the article, had Judith stuck with regular government Medicare instead of buying a private Medicare Advantage plan鈥� yes, her premiums might have been higher, but the recovery time would probably have been paid for.

Listen to Seattle鈥檚 Morning News with Dave Ross and Colleen O鈥橞rien weekday mornings from 5 鈥� 9 a.m. on 成人X站 Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the聽podcast here.