Health plan member satisfaction improving
Members of 134 commercial health plans in 18 regions of the U.S. were more satisfied than in recent years with their coverage, according to a J.D. Power survey released on March 9. More than 31,000 members responded to the survey.
The study, now in its ninth year, rates satisfaction on a 1,000-point scale. The average member satisfaction was 679 this year, up 10 points from 2014.
The authors studied six factors: coverage and benefits; provider choice; information and communication; claims processing; cost; and customer satisfaction. They said the largest improvement this year was in information and communication because health plans are making messaging and reaching out to consumers a bigger priority.
Health plans are also doing a better job listening to their members through mobile and text messaging and other methods, according to the authors. They also said fewer members had increases in their monthly premiums and had declines in overall out-of-pocket expenses.
The areas with the highest member satisfaction were California, the Northwest, Illinois–Indiana, Michigan and the Mountain region. The lowest satisfaction numbers were found among members in the New England, the Southwest and Minnesota–Wisconsin.
“Health plans have come a long way since last year as the focus has shifted toward better serving member needs and building trust. However, there is still a lot of work to do,” Rick Johnson, senior director of the healthcare practice at J.D. Power, said in a news release. “Health plans need to take a more customer-centric approach and keep their members engaged through regular communications about programs and services available through their plan. When members perceive their plan as a trusted health partner, there is a positive impact on loyalty and advocacy.”
Executive Editor
Tim Casey joined TriMed Media Group in 2015 as Executive Editor. For the previous four years, he worked as an editor and writer for HMP Communications, primarily focused on covering managed care issues and reporting from medical and health care conferences. He was also a staff reporter at the Sacramento Bee for more than four years covering professional, college and high school sports. He earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Notre Dame and his MBA degree from Georgetown University.