Health plan satisfaction poll: Most want better technology and greater support

The J.D. Power Commercial Member Health Plan Study, now in its 13th year, measures satisfaction based on responses from 28,809 commercial health plan members of 146 health plans in 22 regions throughout the U.S.

The company says it gages satisfaction on six key factors: billing and payment; cost; coverage and benefits; customer service; information and communication; and provider choice.

“Health plans are doing a good job managing the operational aspects of their businesses, but they are having a harder time addressing the expectations members have based on their experiences in other industries where their service needs are more effectively addressed with better technology,” said James Beem, Managing Director, Global Healthcare Intelligence at J.D. Power in a company news release. “Across the board, health plan members are satisfied with the coverage and benefits they have, but once they start looking to their health plans for guidance in areas like navigating issues related to cost or when to use primary care versus urgent care, many plans miss the mark on customer expectations.”

Following are some of the key findings of the 2019 study:

·   Increased health plan satisfaction driven by coverage and benefits: Overall health plan member satisfaction is 713 (on a 1,000-point scale), up 7 points over the previous three years. The increase, in part, is driven by improved satisfaction with the coverage and benefits offered. Coverage and benefits - not cost - is the most important driver of customer satisfaction, now accounting for 25 percent of total health plan member satisfaction.

·    High co-pays and lackluster mobile apps drag on customer satisfaction: Since 2017, satisfaction increases across nearly all factors in the study, except cost and mobile app. The decline in cost satisfaction is directly related to high co-pays for physician office visits. Overall satisfaction scores are 254 points higher when members perceive their plan actively keeps out-of-pocket costs low, helped coordinate care and that there was enough coverage, yet 54 percent or fewer of health plan members say their plan delivers on each of these criteria.

·    Alternative treatment channels pose opportunity for health plans: Growing customer interest in telehealth, urgent care and retail clinics could help alleviate challenges posed by high co-pays. Among all health plan members, 48 percent say they are either very or somewhat likely to consider telehealth options. That number jumps to 51 percent among Gen Y members. Additionally, 32 percent of all health plan members visited urgent care facilities. Digital access to personal health data and improved coordination of care could encourage further use of these lower-cost treatment channels.