Members want more from their health insurer, but different generations require different approaches.
If you're a health plan and want to not only retain your members, but attract new ones, the status quo may not be enough.
A one-size-fits-all approach may not be either, with older beneficiaries preferring one type of experience, and younger members wanting another. That's why health plans have to deliver highly personalized care—something they're seemingly not doing enough of.
Recent surveys, studies, and analysis have shown member satisfaction to be relatively low right now. The newest piece of evidence comes from a survey of more than 2,800 beneficiaries by digital healthcare company HealthEdge, which found that only 45% of respondents are fully satisfied with their health plan, while 55% want more from their insurance.
The survey also reveals differences among generations. Respondents aged 18 to 24 were four times more likely than other age groups to prefer digital communication with their health plan, such as texting and mobile app messaging. Respondents aged 65 and up, on the other hand, preferred traditional forms of communicating, such as phone calls and emails.
However, commercial health plans are struggling to meet patients' engagement needs. A separate study by J.D. Power, based on response from 32,656 commercial health plan members, uncovered that overall member satisfaction dropped by 13 points this year (on a 1,000-point scale), mostly due to a 33-point decline in customer service and a 16-point decrease in information and communication.
Another report by Accenture, released near the end of 2022, revealed the top reasons why beneficiaries leave their insurers. Nearly half of almost 11,000 respondents (49%) cited ease of navigation as the number one factor for switching, which includes: inconsistent or inaccurate information, unanswered questions, poor experiences using digital tools, poor customer service, and discomfort with how payers used their personal data.
Switching up coverage and benefits, or increasing provider choice, is likely a bigger ask for health plans than improving the engagement experience. Focusing on digital tool offerings, customer service, and convenience can be low-hanging fruit for payers to appeal to beneficiaries, particularly of the younger generation who are more prone to switching plans.
Gabriella Gold, director of Network Strategy and Innovation at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, recently shared at the HealthLeaders' Payer NOW Summit some unique solutions to improving the member experience in behavioral health that her health plan is seeing results from.
"An example of a technology we've rolled out to all our commercial members is an asynchronous chat function that mimics a coffee conversation with a close friend or family member," Gold said.
"We've also partnered with an organization to bring all of our solo practitioners together and incentivize technology use for charting and appointment scheduling. We're now seeing streamlined appointment bookings in under four days whereas previously, members were calling five to 10 providers and not getting a call back for 30 days. We've seen great strides there."
For health plans, building and maintaining loyalty with beneficiaries isn't just about trust and consistency, but also about demonstrating a willingness to evolve to meet members' needs and expectations.
While digital engagement may not always be the priority for members, it's the area where insurers can potentially make strides fairly quickly to improve satisfaction.
Jay Asser is the contributing editor for strategy at HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The low-hanging fruit for health plans wanting to build more loyalty with beneficiaries, especially of the younger generation, is to focus on digital engagement.
Member satisfaction with health plans appears to be on the decline and shortcomings in communication and information are a big reason why.
Improving areas like ease of navigation can keep members from switching to other plans while also expanding access to care.