In 2016, the state of Arkansas implemented a new program to determine Medicaid benefits for eligible residents. The program used an algorithm developed by a Michigan university professor to decide how many hours per week a caretaker would visit a home, part of a crucial safety net for some of the state’s sickest people.
Our reporting showed how flaws in the system had erroneously and drastically cut hours for people in the state, but it also went further, demonstrating how similar problems have appeared in states around the country, including in Idaho and Colorado. The article also demonstrated how complex mathematical formulas effectively cut beneficiaries off from the appeals process, even in cases where errors occurred.