Dear health insurance CEOs: I’ve been a cancer patient for 22 years, and I’m begging you. Please don’t use AI customer service agents

Hello and thank you for your message. My name is Jonathan Gluck, and I am a cancer patient who has been living with multiple myeloma for more than two decades. During this time, I have undergone numerous treatments, including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and CAR T-cell therapy. I have been in and out of remission multiple times and have spent countless hours navigating the healthcare system, filing insurance claims worth millions of dollars.

I am writing to respectfully request that you refrain from utilizing AI customer service agents in your operations. If your organization is already employing such agents, I implore you to reconsider and discontinue their use. The current landscape in industries ranging from e-commerce to healthcare is increasingly relying on AI agents to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve profits. However, I must strongly express my opposition to this approach, particularly in the context of health insurance.

Allow me to share my personal experience with AI agents. As a cancer patient, I have encountered numerous challenges and frustrations with health insurance companies over the years. One of the most significant hurdles I have faced is the pre-authorization process, which can be incredibly time-consuming, stressful, and frustrating.

I have had to appeal countless denials of pre-authorization requests, often spending days or weeks on hold, dealing with unresponsive agents, and navigating bureaucratic red tape. All of this occurs while I am already dealing with a serious health issue and in dire need of medical care.

Moreover, the use of AI agents in such situations is not only frustrating but also highly unethical. When you are dealing with a health issue, especially a serious one like mine, it is not merely frustrating; it is downright inhumane. The absence of human interaction in these interactions leaves patients with no avenue to seek compassionate and effective treatment.

In my experience, the burden of resolving such disputes often falls on the patient, who must repeatedly call the doctor's office and insurance company, only to be directed to the wrong person or department. The stress and emotional toll of this process can be immense, particularly when already dealing with the challenges of a serious illness.

I implore you to reconsider your decision to employ AI agents in your customer service operations. The cumulative impact of such a decision, across billions of customer interactions, can be devastating. It removes the last lifeline to caring, decent healthcare and replaces it with a system that is cold, soulless, and ultimately detrimental to patients' well-being. I sincerely hope that you will take my concerns into consideration and prioritize the humane treatment of patients over profits.