Health insurance and algorithms: an ethical overview

Abstract

This article discusses the ethical implications of the use of algorithms and artificial intelligence in the field of health insurance. Big Data and Machine Learning have been revolutionizing various areas of human life in the last decade. The job market has been one of the first to incorporate these new technologies that promise to improve our practices and make them more efficient. Insurance providers have also joined this trend, albeit with precautions related to the prevention of bias and discrimination. The healthcare field could also benefit from the implementation of these technologies, although here the ethical issues are even more pressing. We will dwell on pressing issues of privacy, confidentiality, prevention of bias, transparency and accountability, among others. Finally, we advocate for a cautious and gradual implementation of these new technologies, placing great emphasis on the monitoring and reviewing of the results yielded by algorithms.