In July 2023, McKinsey released a report, Sweeping changes to Medicare Advantage: How payers could respond, shedding light on shifts within the Medicare Advantage landscape. McKinsey’s findings indicated that over one-third of those enrolling in new Medicare Advantage plans in 2022 turned to e-brokers for assistance, marking a departure from the healthcare norms of just a few years ago. In addition, their research revealed that technology played a pivotal role in the onboarding journey, with more than two-thirds of members using digital tools to navigate benefit coverage, manage prescription medications, and explore physician networks.
At RetireeFirst, we have a heightened awareness of trends in retiree healthcare. We research demographics of the Silent Generation (also known as the Traditionalist Generation) and Baby Boomers who are both “digital immigrants” born or raised in an era before today’s tech-first society. As much as we are aware of the evolving relationship between seniors and technology, the role of digital tools in our people-centric service model must align with our own retirees’ preferences and behaviors.
RetireeFirst’s 2023 Seniors and Technology Report: A Deep Dive into Retiree Preferences
The only conclusive way to learn the technology preferences of our retirees was to ask them directly. RetireeFirst conducted focus groups and surveyed over 500 retiree members to gain insights into their comfort level and use of digital tools for health insurance management. The resulting 2023 Seniors and Technology Report: Takeaways from 500+ RetireeFirst Members offers a direct perspective from retirees on their healthcare technology preferences.
Our survey results found that most seniors still favor traditional methods of managing their retiree health benefits, such as making phone calls and speaking to a human who can help them understand their benefits, resolve issues, and provide a stress-free experience. However, there is an openness to digital adoption under the right circumstances. Notably, 60% of our members expressed a willingness to embrace mobile apps and/or web portals if given access, highlighting the importance of developing user-friendly, senior-centric digital tools.
Balancing Digital Innovation with Traditional Support for Retiree Healthcare
Our original research continues to inform our digital initiatives to best serve the evolving needs of our retiree members. As the healthcare landscape progresses, understanding and accommodating retirees’ preferences for managing their health insurance will be crucial. Offering digital self-service, in addition to traditional methods of connecting to a live person on the line for personalized assistance, will be necessary to meet the future needs of upcoming generations of retirees and their caregivers.
The insights and conclusion of our survey are compiled into this user-friendly report that we invite you to download. The hyperlinked tabs on the right will help a reader navigate sections: Foundation, Survey Introduction, Findings, Findings Summary, and About RetireeFirst.
We hope that our findings are useful and widely shared. This initiative, and others like it, demonstrate our commitment to putting retirees first: by investing in original research to help companies like ours understand and align with their preferences—now and in the near future.
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Contact RetireeFirst to learn more about how we can put your retirees first with our world-class Retiree Advocacy Services.
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