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| The Importance of Age-ins |
In order for Medicare programs to thrive and survive, they need to attract their fair share of persons who are newly eligible for Medicare benefits.
Market Size
We estimate that this year over 2.6 million people will enter the Medicare population by aging in. This makes the Age-in population equivalent to approximately 7% of all Medicare eligibles.
Research Questions
In the summer of 2007, we conducted interviews with health plan representatives to understand how better information about Age-ins could contribute to better management decisions. Representatives confirmed the need for a solid description of the market to make the best marketing decisions. To market most effectively, insurers need to know how much education Age-ins need about Medicare, how attached Age-ins are to their current insurer, what will attract Age-ins, and how they can identify the Age-ins most likely to be active shoppers. They also need to know how to find their own commercial customers that will be most likely to enroll in their Medicare plans. The interviews led to the following research questions, which we used to guide our creation of a survey for age-in consumers:
- How do Age-ins break into segments that can help a marketing effort?
- How attached are Age-ins to their current insurer? How likely are they to move to another?
- What is most likely to cut through the clutter of information Age-ins will receive?
During the summer of 2008 we repeated many of the measures we conducted in 2007. We also asked Age-ins about using the internet to enroll in a health plan, and other purchases they have made online. Plus the 2008 study looks at consumer views on in-home medical technology and whether it gives health plans covering it a competitive advantage.
Click here for link to 2007 consumerism segments (pdf)
Most inactive consumers, as shown below, are willing to give their current insurer a competitive advantage over other insurers when looking into Medicare coverage. This means that this segment of consumers is an important asset to identify.
