States Enact Dozens of AI Healthcare Laws Covering Prior Authorization, Therapy
Becker's Hospital Review compiles 13 state healthcare AI laws enacted or taking effect in 2025 and 2026, drawing on a Manatt Health analysis showing lawmakers in 47 states introduced more than 250 AI healthcare bills in 2025, with 33 signed into law across 21 states. Highlighted laws include California measures protecting clinician judgment over AI tools and requiring bias mitigation in clinical decision support systems, Iowa and Texas laws restricting AI's role in prior authorization and requiring patient disclosure, and Rhode Island, Hawaii, and Maine laws governing AI chatbots and companions used in mental health care. Provisions generally require human oversight of AI-driven clinical and therapeutic decisions, patient disclosure and consent, bias monitoring, and crisis-response protocols for AI companions. Effective dates vary by state, with several laws already in force and others taking effect through 2026.