Strong mission early on, but culture shifted as the company scaled
Pros
The mission to serve Medicare members well was clear, and the early culture reflected that. Teams were empowered, different leadership styles were welcomed, and people were trusted to solve problems in practical ways. There are still many talented and mission-driven people at the company who care deeply about the work and about members.
Cons
As the company grew rapidly, the culture began to change. Metrics have always been a focus, which is understandable in a performance-driven environment, but the emphasis increasingly shifted toward tracking activity and “effort” rather than measuring meaningful outcomes. Smaller assignments that once would have been handled with flexibility began to receive disproportionate attention, creating an environment that often felt more micromanaged than empowered. At the same time, accountability did not always appear to be applied consistently across leadership levels, which can be frustrating for teams that are being held to strict standards themselves. Frequent performance framework changes and constant iterations also created confusion and fatigue on the ground. In several cases, supervisor turnover concentrated under the same leadership should have been treated as a signal worth examining. Overall morale in parts of the organization has noticeably declined compared to earlier years.
