Whether it’s dental insurance or the smartphone, consumers want products
that offer simplification and savings. In a new survey, WellPoint asked
Americans what products make their lives easier and the findings
revealed that integrated products and services are highly valued – for
example, the smartphone (74 percent), printer/copier/scanner (64
percent) and the toaster oven (36 percent). And, when it comes to
insurance, consumers overwhelmingly (81 percent) said it would be
extremely helpful to trust the same carrier to provide
their dental, vision and health coverage.
So, what specifically are consumers looking for when it comes to
selecting an insurance plan? Survey respondents said a range of factors
are important to consider, but they most frequently point to cost as
being an extremely important aspect (67 percent), followed by
comprehensiveness of coverage (61 percent), customer service (60
percent) and ease of use (58 percent). Additionally, 86 percent would
expect to save time, save money or receive improved care if they had the same
carrier integrate dental with their vision and medical benefits.
In the current health care environment, employers are looking for
products that offer their employees exceptional valuei. The
good news is that simpler processes, vast networks and deep discounts
offered by multiline carriers like WellPoint can provide employers and
employees with the exceptional value they are seeking.
“For example, we offer a vast choice of dental benefits that employees
want, along with large, reliable provider networks that make it easy and
affordable for consumers to maintain good oral health,” said Dani
Fjelstad, president of WellPoint’s Dental business. “And, we’ve built
strong relationships with the dentists in our network and we have
negotiated rates, which saves members on average 25 to 32 percent on
their covered dental services.”
In addition to seeing a cost savings, consumers can expect to save time
when they selecting a multiline carrier. Half of the consumers surveyed
(50 percent) say that figuring out costs is the most time consuming
aspect of health management. Two-in-five also say it’s time consuming to
find health care providers that accept their insurance (41 percent) and
to get their doctors to talk with each other to coordinate care (39
percent).
“With all of the advantages available to consumers and employers who get
their benefits from a multiline carrier, there’s no reason to settle for
the inefficiencies of having multiple benefit providers,” said Fjelstad.
“We’re meeting the needs of both employer and employee by providing
affordable and comprehensive coverage benefits, which helps both save
money and time every step of the way.”
This report presents the findings of a telephone survey conducted among
1,005 adults, 503 men and 502 women 18 years of age and older, living in
the continental United States. Interviewing for this ORC International
CARAVAN® Survey was completed on July 10-13, 2014. 605 interviews were
from the landline sample and 400 interviews from the cell phone sample.
The margin of error for the total sample is ±3.0 percent at the 95%
confidence level. This means that if we were to replicate the study, we
would expect to get the same results within 3.0 percentage points 95
times out of 100.
About WellPoint, Inc.
WellPoint is working to transform health care with trusted and caring
solutions. Our health plan companies deliver quality products and
services that give their members access to the care they need. With
nearly 69 million people served by its affiliated companies, including
more than 37 million enrolled in its family of health plans, WellPoint
is one of nation’s leading health benefits companies. WellPoint
companies serve members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; and
as the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensees for Colorado, Connecticut,
Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in
the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as the Blue
Cross Blue Shield licensee in 10 New York City metropolitan and
surrounding counties and as the Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield
licensee in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding
the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), and Wisconsin. In
most of these service areas, WellPoint does business as Anthem Blue
Cross, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
Georgia and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, or Empire Blue Cross (in the
New York service areas). It also serves customers in other states
through its Amerigroup, CareMore and UniCare subsidiaries. To find out
more about WellPoint, go to wellpoint.com.
Reference:
iCorporate
Executive Board (2012). To Keep Your Customers, Keep It Simple
Copyright Business Wire 2014