Fight Health Insurance Included in PBS NewsHour Segment on AI Tools Helping Patients Appeal Denied Insurance Claims

As many people gather with family and take stock at the end of the year, others find themselves opening an unexpected health insurance denial. Fight Health Insurance (FHI), the free AI-powered tool that helps patients appeal denied health insurance claims, was recently shown in a PBS NewsHour segment produced titled “How patients are using AI to fight back against denied insurance claims.”

The segment highlighted a sobering reality for millions of Americans: as health insurers increasingly rely on artificial intelligence to process claims, denials have surged. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly 20% of claims filed by Americans on Affordable Care Act plans were denied in recent years, adding up to approximately 73 million claims in 2023 alone. Yet less than 1% of patients ever attempt an appeal.

PBS correspondent Ali Rogin explored how insurers are using AI and automated systems in ways that are difficult for patients to understand or challenge. In the segment, Jennifer Oliva, a professor at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law, described the limited regulation governing insurer-side AI and noted that patients who do appeal are often successful — underscoring how high the stakes are when appeals feel out of reach.

Against that backdrop, the story showed on-screen examples of patient-facing AI tools designed to help people fight back. Fight Health Insurance appeared alongside Counterforce Health as part of a growing group of organizations using technology to help patients generate clear, evidence-based appeal letters more quickly than traditional processes allow.

“Insurance denials can feel like the Grinch showing up uninvited — especially during the holidays,” said Holden Karau, co-founder of Fight Health Insurance. “We’re grateful to have been shown in this PBS NewsHour segment, and to be included alongside teams like Counterforce Health who are trying to put a little humanity back into a system that often forgets the people inside it.”

During the interview, Professor Oliva noted that many appeal-generation tools charge $40–$50 per use. By contrast, Fight Health Insurance is free for patients, with no hidden fees or surprise charges. Anyone who receives a denial letter can upload it and receive a personalized appeal in minutes.

The PBS segment also emphasized a crucial takeaway: patients who do appeal frequently win. The challenge is not the merit of their case, but the barriers that prevent people from trying at all.

As conversations about AI, healthcare access, and insurance transparency continue, FHI remains focused on reducing friction for patients and helping people assert their right to medically necessary care — even during the busiest and most difficult times of the year.

About Fight Health Insurance

Fight Health Insurance provides free, evidence-backed tools to help patients understand, navigate, and appeal denied health insurance claims. By combining transparent AI with a patient-first philosophy, FHI aims to make the healthcare system fairer and easier to navigate.