Three Years of Open Enrollment, and What Have Health Insurance Marketers Learned?

As we enter another Open Enrollment period, we should reflect on the lessons learned and trends in consumer behavior. This in-depth look at the motivations and expectations of health insurance consumers will prepare you to offer better customer experiences and ultimately drive higher revenue.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has forever altered the way Americans shop for, buy, and consume health insurance in our country. The introduction of Federal and State Marketplace Exchanges has taught Americans how to compare and purchase health benefits online – a process that is very different from the traditional selection of options at work or by calling their local broker.

To be successful in the online marketplace today, health insurance companies must change the way they market to consumers. They need to be informed about how people are making buying decisions. They must understand the data that is available to them and how to use it to make informed campaign decisions. They must be very aware of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and make sure to communicate with existing and prospective members always considering their healthcare privacy. And they must be in a position to react in an instant to the shifting mindsets that each open enrollment (OE) cycle brings to the market.

Even more so, health care insurance marketers today must embrace the power of primary, third party, and digital data in order to move prospects and members through the consideration and purchase process on an annual basis as well as engage these consumers in their benefits.

This whitepaper examines the intent, consideration, and purchase behavior expected in OE 2016 and what that means for marketers going forward. It combines that learning with tried-and-true, data-driven customer relationship marketing (CRM) disciplines to offer ways for health insurance marketers who embrace CRM best practices to gain share of market going forward.