First few Article Sentences
Given the steady upward trend of healthcare costs, plan sponsors continue to face the challenge of offering plans that are both cost effective and market competitive relative to industry/community benchmarks. Plans make changes to try to impact trend and improve outcomes. Plans communicate new programs at open enrollment and through other media. Despite our concerted efforts, I still get the sense that most members (including my own family at times) just want their medical plans to pay their claims. Because of this all too common reality, we are seeing a rising tide of member dissatisfaction. This dissatisfaction leads me to ask; do our members understand the benefits of and need for our current programs before we attempt to add new ones like wellness and disease management? How do we design plans and programs that seek to control costs and direct care to the best potential outcomes without creating barriers to receiving recommended care? The following three examples happen on a daily basis and can be prevented through a re-prioritization of member education and revisiting plan design strategy.