As the health care market faces uncertainty, it may be more important as ever for health insurers to satisfy customers. According to a recent
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“J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Employer Health Insurance Plan Study,” now in its second year, examines overall satisfaction with contracted health plans, as reported by more than 7,000 individuals responsible for health benefit design and health insurance carrier performance. The study measures five key factors that affect employer satisfaction with carriers: employee plan service experience; account servicing; product offering/benefit design; problem resolution; and cost/cost management. Health plans are ranked in two segments: fully insured plans (the health plan assumes the risk of providing health coverage for insured events) and self-insured plans (the employer bears the risk associated with offering health benefits.)
Among fully insured plans, Kaiser ranks highest in employer satisfaction (based on a 1,000-point scale):
Kaiser—714
CIGNA—687
Aetna—666
UnitedHealthcare—666
Humana—661
WellPoint/Anthem—659
Among self-insured plans, UnitedHealthcare ranks highest in employer satisfaction (based on a 1,000-point scale):
UnitedHealthcare--665
CIGNA—641
WellPoint/Anthem—635
Aetna—631
The study—based on responses from 7,024 employers, with quotas to assure an adequate distribution of small, medium and large companies—finds that employers might be more satisfied with health insurance plans if service fundamentals improved. The availability of customized account services and how problems are handled can have a strong influence on employer satisfaction with health plans, according to study.
“As employers evaluate how implementation of health care reform will affect coverage for their employees, it’s critically important for health plans to understand what is really driving their satisfaction,” said Rick Millard, senior director of the health care practice at J.D. Power and Associates. “Health plans will have challenges if they need to emphasize marketing to individual purchasers, particularly with new medical loss ratio requirements. To retain employers as customers, paying attention to their service expectations will be as important as offering lower rates.”
According to Millard, carrier representatives should proactively offer advice and provide customized options. Examples include giving employers a choice of provider network discounts, or developing cost reports that employers can act on with employees. Efficiently resolving problems also has a strong effect on employer satisfaction. There are specific errors that have a significant negative effect on employer satisfaction, including problems with claims processing and errors on member enrollment cards. Even a small percentage of errors can have a noticeable impact.
