Quarter of Medicare Advantage Subscribers Changed Providers in 2021

Survey highlights impact of member satisfaction to health plans

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — An Icario survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll among more than 1,200 Medicare subscribers, of whom 535 are Medicare Advantage subscribers, revealed that 40% of Medicare Advantage subscribers made changes to their plans for 2021 and 25% say they stayed in a Medicare Advantage plan but changed health plan providers.

The Icario/Harris Poll survey revealed high levels of member satisfaction along with interest in personalization. While Medicare Advantage subscribers seem to be mostly satisfied with their plans, based on the 87% who feel their plan currently meets their health care needs and the 83% who clearly understand their benefits with their current plan, there is a desire for greater personalization around care, with 86% of Medicare Advantage subscribers wanting their plan to personalize communication, care and services to meet all of their health needs.

In addition to the importance of patient experience and satisfaction on retention, CMS has strengthened the weighting of satisfaction in the calculation of Medicare Advantage Star Ratings, a critical component in plan selection and financial performance.

“Health plans – particularly Medicare Advantage plans – have a challenging bar to meet in terms of personalization and communication,” said Steve Wigginton, CEO of Icario. “The complexity of healthcare, coupled with the regulatory and compliance requirements, makes it difficult to communicate with people as human beings in a highly personalized way. Yet doing so can have a significant positive impact on plan quality, satisfaction and health outcomes.”

The Icario/Harris Poll survey also identified the potential to improve membership satisfaction with the incorporation of rewards and incentives as part of a health action strategy, with 75% of Medicare Advantage subscribers expressing they would feel more positive about their Medicare plan if it offered them rewards and incentives for certain activities or behaviors, such as recommended cancer screenings, wellness visits or quitting smoking.

“Maintaining high satisfaction and a positive member experience will help health plans prevent member losses and improve profitably since consistent membership growth is central to financial success,” said Sara Ratner, SVP of Government Markets and Strategic Initiatives with Icario. “We’re working with clients to make sure their members are deeply understood with each member finding value in different areas and benefits. Having a comprehensive view of the member and their satisfaction level is central to understanding changing needs and being able to drive improved performance.”

Icario is the leader in healthcare member engagement and excels at providing insights and delivering programs for plans to continue to understand and engage its membership to improve satisfaction and improve members’ health.

The survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Icario, a leading health action company that uses pioneering technology, data science and behavioral insights to make the world a healthier place one person at a time.

Survey Method:
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Icario from December 21-23 and December 28-30, 2020 among 1,279 Medicare subscribers, of whom 535 are Medicare Advantage subscribers. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodologies, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Sandi Scott at sscott@tunheim.com.

About Icario

Icario is the leading health action company focused on connecting people to health. Icario uses pioneering behavioral research, data science and our adaptive multi-channel platform to deliver personalization at scale for the most trusted healthcare organizations in all 50 states, including seven of the 10 largest health plans. Learn more at www.icariohealth.com.

About The Harris Poll
The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys in the U.S. tracking public opinion, motivations and social sentiment since 1963 that is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that delivers social intelligence for transformational times. We work with clients in three primary areas; building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. Our mission is to provide insights and advisory to help leaders make the best decisions possible. To learn more, please visit www.theharrispoll.com.

Media Contact:

Sandi Scott
sscott@tunheim.com
(651) 208-4582