What Do Consumers Want from a Health Plan Website?

As advertisers, our job is to put ourselves in the minds of consumers and make educated assumptions about how they gather information and make purchasing decisions. In the age of online information, this task is more complex than it’s ever been.

With healthcare reform and Insurance Exchanges set to go into effect in 2014, health insurance marketers are charged with one crucial question: What can I do to provide more value?

The answer? Put your website in line with consumer needs.

So, what do consumers want from a health plan website? To answer this question, consider the two main user groups: Prospects and Members.

Prospects

When considering Prospects, your health plan website can be a viable sales tool — one that can enhance and complement all of your marketing efforts. The key is making information simple to find, and application easy to do.

• Make sure contact information is prominent on the home/landing page — as in the landing page we created for SWHP’s Medicare product www.seniorcaretexas.org. While consumers typically work alone when making important purchasing decisions such as health insurance, there is comfort in knowing they can reach out and talk to a live person should they get stuck.
• Make quality information available and easily accessible. Consumers perceive significant differences among doctors, hospitals and health plans and are looking for transparency when choosing health insurance.
• Help consumers self-select the products that best fit their needs.
• Applying for coverage/getting a quote should be easy and accessible from the home/landing page, and require as few steps as possible. A bad user experience can cost you a sale in seconds.

Members

Once you’ve enrolled a prospect in your plan, your focus shifts to retention. The selling process doesn’t stop once they’re “sold.” Renewals come every year, and you want to make sure you provide members with the best service and ease of use. You must create continuing value for your customers.

• First and foremost, make sure your member login is accessible from the homepage. Or better yet, make it prominent on every page.
• Create personalized content for your members — this could range from details about coverage to information about a chronic illness. This downloadable article (PDF) from McKesson discusses pages such as message centers, health assessments, records, emails, care management programs and more.

Put Healthcare Consumers in the Driver’s Seat

Today’s consumers want to take greater control of their healthcare. Their health plan and providers are just the tip of the iceberg. Giving consumers the tools that will allow them to have more control will give you a leg up.

In 2014, Health Insurance Exchanges will make plan comparisons much more transparent. You’ll need to prove why you are the best option, outside of cost alone.

Not only do health insurers have an opportunity to positively influence Prospects and Members online, moving more functionality online can also lead to reduced administrative costs and improved member outcomes.