Donald Trump’s slogan of Making America Great Again appears to hint at a shift towards making things worse, less accessible, and less effective, especially in terms of public services. The current administration is seemingly working towards reducing the effectiveness of long-standing social welfare programs like Social Security and Medicare.

A recent development highlighting this trend is the introduction of a new trial program by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This initiative, set to commence next year in six states according to the New York Times, will employ artificial intelligence technology to assess the appropriateness of certain types of coverage.

In an announcement reminiscent of internet meme culture on its website, CMS introduces the new program as a means to target wasteful and inappropriate services within Original Medicare. The agency aims to ensure that individuals under Original Medicare receive necessary and high-quality care through this Innovation Center model.

The press release emphasizes the need to avoid unnecessary care, presenting the WISeR Model as a way to enhance the prior authorization process for Original Medicare beneficiaries. This process typically involves medical providers seeking approval from insurance companies before providing specific treatments. While this hasn’t been a concern for those on Original Medicare, individuals utilizing Medicare Advantage have faced this hurdle frequently.

Under the pilot program, even Original Medicare recipients will undergo prior authorization using AI algorithms to evaluate if their care aligns with appropriate federal spending. This move is portrayed by the government as a beneficial measure.

The WISeR Model will assess whether advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence can streamline prior authorization for services prone to fraud, waste, abuse, or inappropriate utilization. However, concerns have been raised about potential biases in these algorithms and the financial motives of AI companies involved. Critics have already dubbed this initiative as an “AI death panels” program.

The use of such algorithms has faced legal challenges in the past, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest. Gizmodo has contacted authorities for further details on this controversial pilot program.