Medicare Advantage beneficiaries are getting savvier and expecting more from their plans, executives at the top-rated insurers for customer satisfaction told Becker's.
J.D. Power published its annual Medicare Advantage study in August. The report ranks Medicare Advantage plans based on customer satisfaction in 10 markets.
Medicare beneficiaries are expecting more from their insurers, Angela Perri, chief Medicare officer at UPMC Health Plan told Becker's.
"We have a lot of well-informed, very sophisticated seniors in our market overall. The seniors have become much more savvy about what they expect," Ms Perri said.
UPMC Health Plan was the highest-rated Medicare Advantage insurer in Pennsylvania, and the highest-scored plan in J.D. Power's study.
Here is what the leaders at four of J.D. Power's top plans told Becker's members expect now:
Responsiveness
Responsiveness is a key part of customer experience, Manda Sanders, vice president of Medicare Advantage retention at Highmark, told Becker's.
"We really over-index, in a good way, on member experience," she said.
Highmark seeks feedback through focus groups and surveys with members, Ms. Sanders said. The insurer also asks for feedback from sales and customer service teams that interact with members.
"We try to understand what their needs are, what their challenges are, and then we try to tailor our plans accordingly," she said.
Education
Member satisfaction is also tied to how well members understand their benefits, Ms. Sanders said.
With significant policy changes coming to Medicare Part D benefits in the coming year, education is especially important, she said.
"We recognize the importance of guiding our members through those transitions — the thing you want to celebrate and highlight, and the things that might cost them the minutes to digest and understand what the implications are.
Medicare Advantage members also want options for self-service and chat, rather than call, options for solving problems, said Suha Assi, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Medicare and Retirement in North Carolina.
"More than half of our members engage with us online, and those who do generally understand their coverage and benefits better," Ms. Assi said in a statement shared with Becker's.
Simplicity
Members also expect straightforward explanations for bills, Ms. Assi said, along with help scheduling appointments.
Ms. Perri also noted Medicare Advantage satisfaction comes back to simplicity — prioritizing benefits, value and access.
"Medicare is complicated. With each year, as some of the rules change, there's nuances pretty much everywhere," she said.
Strong benefits
Supplemental benefits that support needs like transportation, food security and caregiving are key to strong Medicare Advantage plans, Kortney Cruz, senior vice president of government markets at Independence Blue Cross, said.
"As we've navigated through the supplemental benefits, sometimes it can get a little bit of a bad rap that it's just allowances that are being thrown out there," Ms. Cruz said. "In all truth and honesty, it's providing support that all seniors need in some way, shape or form.
UPMC leans into local needs and feedback when designing benefits, Ms. Perri said.
"Regional plans are some of the most innovative, driving new changes in benefit designs overall. We're local. It does make a difference, and our seniors come to expect that," she said.
Consistency
Staying consistent with benefits is a key part of customer satisfaction, Ms. Cruz said.
"That consistency that we are able to bring and the types of innovative benefits, clinical approaches, member experience — all of that has been key to a successful and stable Medicare Advantage program," she said.
Medicare Advantage members are expecting more from their plans, Bill Rayball, vice president of government quality at Highmark, told Becker's.
Medicare beneficiaries have access to more data about plan quality than ever before, Mr. Rayball said, driving consumers that expect more.
"Medicare Advantage beneficiaries have the ability to understand what they can expect out of a plan," he said. "The expectation around responsiveness, education, value have gone up because it's a much savvier consumer now that it was."