Thread regarding Humana Inc. layoffs

@bw
That is a fair question. Let me seek to give an answer that I hope is sufficient.

The main reason for the post, and other posts like it, is that Humana executive leadership needs to recognize that AI is not working on so many fronts and they need to change their focus. Below, I will attempt to list reasons why AI is not working and after that briefly list what the focus should be on.

Short List as to Why AI is not working:

1. To create the amount of energy to generate the computing power needed to truly unleash all of AI’s capabilities for all large corporations, you would need Data Centers in multiple places in every state and probably will soon need nuclear plants in every state to power them, as today’s electric grids are not sufficient to sustain the kind of power that these data centers for AI require.
2. At least today, probably only a couple hundred, if even that, really understand generative AI and most of those persons work for much larger corporations than even Humana. As large as Humana is, sorry but even it does not have the financial backing of investors to really make AI work for it properly. In other words, most of the processes created by Humana FTEs and contractors will be a flop. So far, any processes “successfully” created and implemented using generative AI have been riddled with more mistakes than a team of human beings would have made.
3. This mad venture to force AI to be used has caused a need for Humana and other large corporations to get rid of very competent, capable, ethical, talented employees that have decades of healthcare acumen. Reason being, AI is simply costing too much. The cost of AI tokens alone are breaking the bank fast.
4. AI is adversely slowly (or maybe fast) eroding our economy as employees are being displaced because of AI. Most of the employees are the higher paid older workers with lots of key knowledge that once they are pushed out most likely will never return to the industry. We will have at possibly three decades of knowledge completely lost and this will be not just a minor hiccup for the industry but major scale setback.
5. Besides employees being adversely affected by this AI push, the focus of preventive healthcare and also the acceptance and payment of catastrophic claims has adversely affected Humana’s members. Right now, I think the focus by executive leadership is to push on with AI and focus on profitability of the organization. And in doing so have taken their eye off the ball of what use to be Humana’s mission to put its members first. I think executive leadership think that the ends will justify the means if they can make this AI work for the company and simply processes, reducing human error and making all of the administrative tasks faster to eventually improve member experience. Maybe AI someday will be able to do that. But at what cost to human experience to both employees and members? Is AI really for members or is it for very rich bankers to get richer.

Short List as to where Focus Should be to Improve outcomes for Members

1. If Humana is truly about preventative healthcare maintenance and the wellbeing of its members, then take most, or all, of the money you are throwing away into AI and instead use it to cover $2,500 full body MRI scans once a year as part of the member’s annual physical. And, then, when something is found from those scans, actually address and cover to fix those findings before they turn into situations where it is either to late to cure the member of those health things or their options are limited because we waited too long and are just managing things after the fact, in some cases EOL management.
2. Hire many more Medical Directors than you have and stop putting a bridle in their mouth causing them to be afraid to be the advocate for the members, which is their trie calling in this life. Allow them to speak up and heed their advice even when it flies in the face of profitability.
3. Keep your employees that have decades of professional healthcare and health insurance acumen for as long as you can. If they want to continue working until they are 80, then by all means let them. The corporation will be so lucky to have them do so. Believe me, Humana will flourish if you keep as many with built up experience and knowledge; folks who have been weathered and seen it all in this industry and know how to handle and address difficult situations as they arrive. Also, stop p-o pooing data engineers with computer science degrees as though that does not matter. 4 to 8 years of strenuous learning in an university academic setting teaches you a lot and those folks, especially the seasoned ones, know both the theory behind things and they have even put it into practice successfully over and over. So, stop underestimating their value to the organization, pay them what they are worth and keep them for as long as you can. Same goes for the nurses and case managers.
4. If you truly want to simplify things and in doing so make them better, then start by reading your own mission statement and go back to the roots of the two original founders of Humana. And maybe ask yourself, how would they have wanted things to be done.

Why is this in a board for Humana layoffs?

Pushback?? They are already everywhere just like flock cameras. Its over. The Patriot Act did this to us.