Entries by Catherine Artz

AEP Digital Listening Bulletin #3

With only one day to go before AEP closes, consumer fatigue with MA advertising appears to have set in.  Despite significant advertising and marketing investment, KFF just released a study that shows how few people actually voluntarily switch plans during AEP.  Consumers get smarter about Supplemental Plans—and carriers get smarter about targeting.  And the issue of social isolation among seniors garners a lot of attention.

Open Enrollment Digital Listening Bulletin #3

The last few weeks we have picked up a lot more discussion around emerging categories of enhanced benefits as new products are “digested” by the market throughout this open enrollment; a continued focus on cost control and driving employee engagement; and ultimately, discussions about the future of employer-based benefits in today’s high-cost environment….

AEP Digital Listening Bulletin #2

Not surprisingly, the rhetoric has heated up as consumers began to react to the multiple messages and plan options being received around Medicare Advantage across nearly all media channels as AEP shifts to full speed. The “improved”  CMS Star Rating system results were released on October 11 and show that Medicare Advantage…

Open Enrollment Digital Listening Bulletin #2

Welcome to week two of our Fall 2019 Group Benefits Open Enrollment Digital Listening Bulletin. Even more of the benefits conversation turned to the rising costs of the healthcare portion of group benefits over the last two weeks as the reality of 2020 plan options settles in and employers and employees are both faced with rising plan costs, decreased benefits-or both. According to the KFF 2019 Benchmark Employer Health Benefits Survey released in late September, annual family premiums rose 5% in 2019…

AEP Digital Listening Bulletin #1

Welcome to week one of our Fall 2019 AEP Digital Listening Bulletin. In this bi-weekly e-mail, we’ll take a look at the trends, conversations, and themes that we are seeing dominate the Annual Enrollment Period discussion as carriers, brokers, agents and enrollees go through this annual process.