Learn about consumer preferences when choosing a healthcare plan – Jornal Contábil

3R4 Seguros, Insurance broker in Sao Pauloconducted a survey to understand which services and products are most important to consumers when choosing a health plan.

to me Latest ANS data As of September 2022, more than 50 million Brazilians have contracted health plans and there are 693 active operators in Brazil with more than 13,400 plans at different prices.

Faced with so many possibilities, 3R4 has sought to understand the attributes that consumers of health plans prefer when making a purchase Decide which to hireconducted a survey with 194 respondents between December 2022 and January 2023.

The form contained 9 questions related to the most common services and conditions offered by the operators’ products, in addition to demographic qualification questions, in addition to other questions aimed at understanding the purchase process, such as the most popular brand and relationship channels.

Consumers should choose a scale from 1 to 5 (1 is not important at all and 5 is very important), considering aspects of each item presented according to their judgment when choosing to purchase a health plan.

The survey result showed that the service network is the most important element in the consumer’s selection process, followed by the monthly price and re-adjustment expectations. Less important elements are telemedicine offerings, convenience services and the operator’s brand.

Here are the full results in a pdf: Presentation_Research_2023jan_3R4

When the answers were separated by age groups, the research determined that older adults value moreModification expectationsof the plan and the prices of the service network, alternating between the motives with respect to the general group (observations: 4.958, 4.875, and 4.708, respectively).

We understand that this is a reflection of the increased use of services by the elderly, as well as the fact that household income is more stable in this age group and without much potential for future increases. In this case, the fear that the health plan will affect income is a more important factor than the network of services.”

The research also determined the difference in scores according to the consumer’s income range.

“We expected to get a highly rated response regarding the importance of ‘prices’ and ‘adjustments’ in the selection factor, however, we found that many of the elements that make health plans more expensive are not as important in the selection process as, for example, services Concierge servicesand telemedicine brand and national coverage. With these results, we see an opportunity to reduce monthly health plan costs, removing items that may become more expensive and that have not proven to be of interest to the consumer.”

For relationship channels, 40% of consumers trust information from family and friends and another 30% trust insurance brokers. Although the overall total of internet searches is lower, younger people tend to search for this channel more often than older people. 25% of young people search for information on the Internet, compared to only 8% of older people.

There is a very diverse amount of health plan options out there and the consumer may not have all the information to make the best decision. This is a problem that needs to be solved, providing more assertive information that guides the ideal product for each consumer profile, leading to Saving the monthly cost Or better benefits for the same price.

Read also: Nine questions about pre-existing disease and health plan

Complete data

Dates: December 2022 to January 2023

Audience: 194 consumers

Regions: 90% concentration in the state of SP.

Ages: all age groups

The purpose of the research

The aim of the research was to understand the reasons for choosing a health plan among the different services offered by the operators. We seek to understand qualities that consumers want To find out those who are more or less important in decision making.

methodology

Electronic forms that do not identify consumers’ personal data were used. The questionnaire response form contained 9 questions related to the most common services and conditions offered by the operators’ products, in addition to demographic qualification questions.

In the process of gathering information, questions aimed at understanding the buying process were also asked, such as which channels of relationships and which brands are most popular.

The questions appeared in the following order to the respondents and the respondent must choose a scale from 1 to 5 (1 not important at all and 5 very important) considering the aspects on which they judge each item in their health plan selection.

1. regarding value reimbursementHow important is this factor in the decision to choose a health plan?
2. About Service network (hospitals, clinics and offices)How important is this factor in the decision to choose a health plan?
3. regarding the service via telemedicine, How important is this factor in the decision to choose a health plan?
4. About Brand (examples: Amil, Unimed, Bradesco, etc.)How important is this factor in the decision to choose a health plan?
5. Regarding availability Conveniences such as document collection and delivery services, exclusive service and conciergeHow important is this factor in the decision to choose a health plan?
6. health plan nationallyrather than regional, is the determining factor in the selection?
7. related to Singles apartment in case of hospitalizationHow important is this factor in the decision to choose a health plan?
8. related to The monthly price of a healthcare planHow important is this factor in the decision to choose a health plan?
9. Regarding prediction Health plan modificationHow important is this factor in the decision to choose a health plan?

The error rate was 6% and the confidence level was 90%.

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demographics

The survey had respondents from several states in Brazil, but SP had a concentration of 91% of the responses.

results

The results of the average overall score assigned to each factor produced the table below, showing that service network is the most important factor in consumer choice overall, but for the elderly group, the items ‘expect adjustment’ and ‘price’ had the highest scores.

For different household incomes, the Telemedicine item is seen to be the least valuable for those earning more than R$10,000 per month, followed by Conveniências which are generally services offered to the more expensive plans. excellent.

No statistically significant differences were identified with regard to the gender of the consumer in this research.

There were no statistically significant differences with regard to consumers with or without children in this research.

Read also: Five expectations and tips for a good relationship with your customers!

the basic ideas search

About the attributes of choosing a health care plan:

1. The service network is the component more Important in the consumer selection process, followed by the monthly price and readjustment.
2. Elements no loss Telemedicine offers, convenience services and the operator’s brand are important.
3. Seniors appreciate the expectations and pricing of plan readjustment more than network service. We understand that this is a reflection of the conditions of increased use of services by the elderly, as well as the fact that household income is more stable in this age group and without much potential for increase in the future. In this case, the fear that the health plan will affect income is a more important factor than the network of services.
4. We expected to get a response with a high score regarding the importance of “prices” and “adjustments” in the choice factor, however, we found that many of the elements that make health plans more expensive are not as important to the consumer as, for example, health-concierge services and telemedicine brand and national coverage. We see an opportunity to lower monthly health plan costs, removing items that may become more expensive and that have not proven important to the consumer.

About brands and relationship channels

1. The operator brands most mentioned in the survey are:

Although Amil, Sulamérica, Bradesco and Unimed are the most mentioned brands, we did not verify that the consumer reaches out to the operators directly to choose a plan, with contact with a trusted person being a very important factor in the selection. Referrals from family and friends, followed by a consultation with an insurance broker, are the preferred ways for clients to obtain information about health plans.

Searching for information on the Internet is more present among young people than among the elderly. We understand that the presence of the broker or operator on the Internet is an important factor for future generations of consumers.

Additional information

At the end of the form, an empty field could have been used to express any element of interest. Below, we have some of our respondents’ reports, where concern about price remains a relevant item.

“The contract in my plan leaves something to be desired because some labs and hospitals were left out of my initial plan. I don’t think it’s fair.”

“Health plans should make imaging tests and appointments more readily available.”

In addition to family and friends, I also consult with some psychics.

Plans should be cheaper.

“In our expensive lifetime plans, we choose value.”

“It turns out that health plans are very expensive!!”

“The health plan’s values ​​are ridiculous.”

“Too often, we pay for insurance and don’t use it much, for months and months without wanting to make an appointment. Co-pay plans try to cover these situations, but I don’t think they’re always the best option. Perhaps the ideal would be to have fair coverage that’s increasingly adapted to your needs. Plan use.