Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) on July 16 issued a statement after Senate Republicans voted to block her resolution, S.J.Res.198, that would have repealed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) WISeR model — a pilot program she says allows private AI systems to delay or deny medical claims for seniors on Traditional Medicare.
In the statement, Gillibrand called the continuation of the WISeR model “completely immoral and absolutely unacceptable,” and said Democrats will continue fighting to end the program. The release says she first warned against the WISeR experiment in September 2025, introduced legislation in December 2025 to block its implementation, and filed the repeal resolution now rejected by Republicans.
According to the release, the WISeR (Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction) Model took effect Jan. 1, 2026, and for the first time introduced prior authorization requirements into Traditional Medicare across six states. The release says the program lets third-party AI companies evaluate and decide whether to deny care even after a doctor has recommended treatment, and that those companies are paid for “averted expenditures,” effectively rewarding denials of care. The release points to a report that it says shows WISeR has been “catastrophic for seniors” in the states where it is deployed.
The release and linked materials outline Gillibrand’s legislative actions opposing WISeR and note that the most recent repeal measure failed to advance after the Republican vote. The senator’s office framed the vote as a choice to protect private insurers and AI vendors rather than seniors’ access to timely care.
This newsroom item is based on a Gillibrand press release issued July 16, 2026, and linked materials referenced in that release.
