Health care news from around the web: March 25 – 29, 2019

Warnings of a dark side to AI in health care
A new breed of AI technology is rapidly spreading across the medical field, as scientists develop systems that can identify signs of illness and disease in a wide variety of images, from X-rays of the lungs to CAT scans of the brain. But they may carry unintended consequences, researchers warn.

More states turning to 'Medicare-based contracting' for employee health care
Some states are moving to control costs of state employee health plans, and it’s triggering alarm from the hospital industry. The strategy: Use Medicare reimbursement rates to recalibrate how they pay hospitals. If the gamble pays off, more private-sector employers could start doing the same thing.

GAO sizes the off-exchange individual health market
The GAO has prepared a new report to show members of Congress how competition in the ACA public exchange system has evolved since 2014, and especially in 2016 and 2017.

Could prescription vegetables be the future of health care?
The authors of a new study conclude that healthful food prescriptions in Medicare and Medicaid would be more cost-effective after five years than preventive drug treatments.

Tech Corner - Verizon set to offer free robocall blocking app, new tech to combat spam – AT&T, Comcast, too
Verizon is getting ready to offer a free robocall blocking app at the end of this month, as it steps up efforts to combat the growing plague of spam calls.