Cigna Sued over Algorithm Used to Deny Coverage to Thousands of Patients | Hacker News Reader

Cigna Sued over Algorithm Used to Deny Coverage to Thousands of Patients

forbes.com

62 pointsthunderbong12 comments

I would rather write software for precision guided bombs than write software for a U.S. insurance company. Over the course of your career, the bombs will by far have been responsible for less death and ruin fewer peoples lives.

How we (legislatively, or the lack thereof) have allowed corporations to directly affect peoples lives with a black box algorithm with zero human accountability is insane. We do the same thing with credit scores, used to deny people housing and even jobs (today in 39 states + the District of Columbia).

In America, a "social credit" scheme that ruins lives is perfectly fine when it's done by private corporations, and people will tell you that "freedom" means that corporations should not be accountable to anyone other than their shareholders.

Because its true (ignoring that corporations are accountable to more than just shareholders).

That doesn't mean everybody necessarily wants it to be the case but the USG is more constrained in what it can do compared to a corporation. A law that restricts what the Government can do very rarely applies to what a corporation can do.

American here. I remember being appalled on a date a few years ago when the guy was explaining how he was a “claims minimization specialist” for a big insurance company. I can’t imagine doing for a living getting in between patients and doctors and extracting a fucking profit out of maximizing that spread. It seems fundamentally evil to me.

It's a mixed bag. Back when Dow Chemical was being sued over breast implants, there were women who sued 50 times (once in each state) despite never actually having implants, and I was pleased our legal casework database helped catch some of the frauds.

How many people lost loved ones to improperly denied coverage? I am honestly surprised this problem hasn't yet been addressed through extra-legal means.

Other recent Cigna shenanigans: https://www.propublica.org/article/cigna-pxdx-medical-health...

I think you have the right to have a human behind every healthcare decision, similar to the right to confront your accuser in court.

There were doctors rubber stamping denials too.

The US system is bad. The problem is that healthy people don't care and sick people are less likely to have the means to battle private corporations. So, it is better for the {evil corp} to get sued every so many years and pay some fines vs paying for the care.

How much will that right help, when the human is selected and paid by the insurance agency?

https://archive.is/d9EKQ

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