Medicare Advantage Insurers Face Member Attrition Without Effective COVID-19 Messaging
As Medicare Advantage plans plot their retention and acquisition strategies heading into the Annual Election Period (AEP) this fall, they may want to consider how their response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been perceived — or whether their members are even aware of their MA plans’ efforts. New data suggests that most carriers have not effectively communicated their COVID-19 response to members.
According to the new COVID-19 and its Impact on Medicare Consumers study from Deft Research, only 24% of MA customers reported that they are aware of their plan’s COVID-19 response, which could include actions such as making online resources available or waiving virtual copayments. Moreover, just 11% of Medicare Supplement enrollees indicated that their carrier has done anything specific regarding the public health emergency.