AXIOS (Caitlin Owens) - How AI is making health care even less affordable
AI is already making health care more expensive, and it's probably only going to get worse. Why it matters: For all of the ways AI could meaningfully improve patients' lives, making care more affordable isn't one of them. Driving the news: PwC on Thursday estimated that medical costs will go up by 9% in the employer market next year, and by 8.5% in the individual market. One of the largest drivers is providers' use of AI-enabled software and scribes that more thoroughly document the care that's delivered. - Such tools are being used "to capture greater billing complexity, and plans are absorbing the cost," per the report. - PwC said the financial impact isn't so much due to people using more medical services as "changes in coded…