5 Member Insights from our Consumer Experience Survey

Part 1: Members to Health Plans: “We don’t trust you, but we want to.”

How much do members trust their health plans?

That’s a key question for payors. Trust is an essential underlying factor for activating member engagement to build brand loyalty, increase member retention, improve health outcomes, and lower costs. And today, the issue of trust has never been more concerning for health plans.  

To gain a deeper understanding of the level of trust American consumers have in their health insurance plans, Pager HealthSM recently commissioned The Harris Poll to survey over 2,000 Americans. In addition, our Consumer Experience Survey asked insured Americans about the pain points of their member experience as well as their comfort with and trust in the use of AI in healthcare.  

In this five-part blog series, we’ll be presenting the key insights the survey revealed. By leveraging these insights, health plans can align their engagement strategies and investments in technology with what their members truly value, and, by meeting these member expectations, differentiate themselves in a crowded, competitive market.  

Let’s begin with the trust issue.  

Insight #1: Health Plan Members Lack Trust—But Still Crave Connection.  

The Harris Poll survey asked members whom they trusted to help them make important decisions about their health. The findings constitute no less than a wake-up call for health plans. Only about one in four insured Americans trust health plans to assist in their care journey (25%), ranking just below pharmacists (28%). In contrast, 75% of insured Americans trust doctors to help them make these decisions. 

“I Will Trust You, But Only If...” 

And yet, despite this lack of trust, a vast majority of insured Americans want their health plans to deliver more value and become an active resource in their healthcare. Time after time, the survey revealed a deep and pervasive desire by members for their health plan to provide more detailed information, ongoing support, and easily available resources. Here are just three examples. 

• 74% of members want to receive health and wellbeing recommendations from their insurance plan immediately following a medical appointment related to that specific medical concern. 

• 79% say having access to a 24/7 online nurse would enhance both their sense of wellbeing and peace of mind. 

• 77% of insured Americans say their health plan's wellbeing apps and services would be more effective at improving their health if they also helped facilitate follow up care, like scheduling an appointment.  

Clearly, members want their insurance providers to go beyond simply covering medical expenses and become proactive partners in managing their overall health and wellbeing. For example, 69% of members expressed interest in scheduling a medical appointment directly via a provider-finder app if one is available through their plan. Facilitating better coordination among healthcare providers and offering 24/7 access to nurses and care teams on each member’s preferred communications channel are other ways health plans can build stronger relationships with their members. Accuracy of information is also paramount.  84% of insured Americans would trust their health plan more if it provided accurate contact information about providers in network. 

In short, health plans need to deliver a more engaging and supportive member experience. Consumers today now expect their health plans to deliver the highly personalized, seamlessly integrated, and conveniently accessible experience they now expect from every other industry they interact with. And when health plans do, members are much more likely to trust them. As our Consumer Experience Survey revealed, 76% of those surveyed said the quality of their member experience has a significant impact on the level of trust they have in their health plan. 

In the next blog, we’ll examine how seamlessly integrating the member experience across the entire continuum of care, from care navigation to ongoing follow-up care and wellbeing programs, can further build trust and boost engagement.