Blog

BALANCE, GLP-1 Access, and the Future of Medicare Advantage

Rob Lourenco, Vice President of Deft Research - Late last year, CMS announced the BALANCE (Better Approaches to Lifestyle and Nutrition for Comprehensive hEalth) Model, a new program intended to expand access to GLP-1 medications. There are two major challenges the program aims to address: the limited access to obesity treatments and the high...

Seniors’ Survey Songs

Andrew Anthony, Senior Research Manager -  At Deft Research, every survey begins with a series of screening questions to ensure we're speaking with the right audience. We also include a few unique questions that help us assess attentiveness, engagement, and overall survey quality. One of our favorites is surprisingly simple:...

Enrollment Caps & Lemon Dropping may bring back AEP “Pre-heat” Marketing.

George Dippel, President of Deft Research - Deft Research recently published its “AEP Signals and Readiness Study” (formerly AEP Gut Check) which is our most anticipated yearly report as it helps the industry prepare for what’s brewing for the AEP. One of the interesting findings from the nearly 90-page study...

Press Zero to Speak to a Live Representative: Why MA Plans Still Need to Prioritize Customer Service Regardless of New Star Rating Measures

Emily Dykstra, Research Manager In their recent final rule for Contract Year 2027, CMS removed 11 measures from Star Rating calculations due to almost universally high ratings among MA plans, which diminished their ability to differentiate performance.¹ The majority of these measures focused on customer service, including call center interpreter...

ICHRA Is Growing—and So Is the Risk of Broker Displacement

George Dippel, President of Deft Research - Employers Turn to Their Broker First When Mulling ICHRA But Aren’t Afraid to Turn to Others. The excitement the industry felt after the then proposed One Big Beautiful Bill was released in May of ‘25 was real, as the OBBB had everything ICHRA...

Leveraging Conjoint Analysis Under Reduced Reimbursement Pressure

Michael Blix, Sr. Director of Research and Analytics - Leveraging Conjoint Analysis Under Reduced Reimbursement Pressure The better-than-anticipated 2027 final MA rate likely has many in the industry feeling a sense of relief, but it could also point to last-minute revisions to bids. Even if plans are content with their...