Louisiana bill targets AI use in health insurance coverage decisions
Louisiana bill targets AI use in health insurance coverage decisions
Publish Date: 2026-03-16 23:58:00
Source Domain: www.kplctv.com
BATON ROUGE, La. (KALB) – Louisiana State Senator Jay Luneau (D-District 29) is pushing legislation that would limit the role of artificial intelligence in health insurance coverage decisions, requiring human oversight before any AI-generated determination takes effect.
Senate Bill 246 would require insurers to have a licensed human reviewer sign off on any decisions or reviews made by an AI system. It would also mandate a process for policyholders to appeal those decisions.
“I hope that it sends a good message,” he said. “Let’s pump the brakes just a little bit. Let’s slow down a little bit, and let’s look at these things. It’s one thing if you use AI to determine if something is covered under a car warranty. It’s another thing to determine if you need a heart procedure done or not.”
Under the bill, AI alone could not determine whether a request for a specific medical treatment is justified under a patient’s policy, emphasizing a human individual’s ethical and/or moral guidance is involved in the process.
“I believe that those decisions should at least involve health care providers, doctors, PAs, nurses, physical therapists,” Luneau said. “All of those people should be able to look at it and say, ‘Hey, you know what? I agree with AI. I think that’s exactly right.’ Or they should be able to look at it and go, ‘No, this is not right.’”
The bill also includes a provision that would bar AI from being used in any subsequent review of a case if an appeal is filed based on AI’s usage.
“We need to make sure that they’re doing the right thing,” Luneau proclaimed. “ [And that] they’re not stopping a person from taking a regular drug that is life-saving and putting them on a generic drug that may not work, and we don’t know about it for six months.”
“If an adverse determination is appealed on the basis of the use of an 24 artificial intelligence, the insurer shall not use an artificial intelligence in any 25 subsequent…
