Medicare AI program made them suffer in pain. Now they want answers

Medicare’s AI WISeR program is drawing sharp criticism after patients in Washington reported delays and denials for treatments, prompting calls for an overhaul. Beginning in early 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services launched the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction initiative to evaluate certain procedures before doctors can use them. The program, rolled out in Washington and five other states, targets more than a dozen procedures for conditions including back and neck pain, arthritis, and incontinence. Doctors in Washington say they are spending more time seeking approvals, facing rejections, and filing appeals that can take weeks, leaving some patients waiting in pain. Rep. Suzan DelBene, speaking at the University of Washington Medical Center, sponsored legislation to roll back WISeR and demanded a fuller accounting of its effects on seniors. Investigators also scrutinized whether CMS followed proper procedure in launching WISeR.