This past spring, many senior citizens in a focus group explained how difficult it can be to trust anonymous algorithms when these tools are used to aid their physical health and financial well-being. Whether they’re discussing their plans with a licensed agent over the phone or communicating via online chat services, seniors often struggle to calm their concerns about being misled.
Launching LiveAdvise
This year’s Medicare Annual Enrollment Period experienced a trust deficit among senior citizens. In hopes of effectively addressing this issue, eHealth, a health insurance and Medicare coverage company, launched its latest service—LiveAdvise. This novel option will allow beneficiaries to consult with a live agent in a face-to-face video call online while analyzing and assessing their coverage choices together.
LiveAdvise is a new eHealth feature that enables Medicare beneficiaries to communicate with a licensed agent via video to navigate the process of shopping for enrollment. The service, previously dubbed “Advisor in the Room,” aims to cultivate confidence and trust among seniors as they maneuver the plan selection process. Seniors can better relate to their selected live agent, easing their worries as they make enrollment decisions by using a video call tool. Beneficiaries have shared that being able to see a live agent reduced the stress of choosing coverage plans.
Although video calls aren’t a novel invention, creating a tool to specifically serve the Medicare population presents unique considerations and obstacles. eHealth noticed that no other entities within the healthcare coverage industry have efficiently tackled these complications.
Helping Seniors Leverage Today’s Technology
LiveAdvise was designed to meet beneficiaries where they are in today’s tech. While many may speak in lighthearted jest about the aging generation’s ability to “stay in the know,” it’s much harder in the present to find seniors lagging behind the digital curve. Americans over 50 are as likely to own and use a mobile phone as younger adults. Moreover, eHealth reported that nearly 50% of Medicare beneficiaries will now spend three or more hours online daily.
The overarching problem is not due to a lack of comfort with society’s technological advancements. In fact, eHealth’s Medicare clients consistently leverage the company’s online tools and resources when searching for available plans in their area, identifying plans that offer care from their preferred doctors, and covering prescription drugs at the lowest costs. Despite many beneficiaries proficiently utilizing these online tools, many still require supplemental guidance and advice when making decisions.
After gathering research about the positive effects of working face-to-face with a licensed agent, eHealth identified higher levels of coverage satisfaction for Medicare beneficiaries.
Uniting In-Person and Online Communications
While the concepts of “online” and “in-person” seem to be at odds, eHealth approaches things differently. The Medicare coverage company believes in utilizing technology to support and cultivate meaningful relationships with its customers. Since its founding in 1997, eHealth has aimed to narrow the gap between the in-person and online enrollment shopping experiences.
The company began by providing access to licensed agents via phone, offering personal assistance and advice to Medicare customers. Later, eHealth pioneered live agent chats across various platforms, with optional collaborative browsing to allow employees and customers to leverage screen-sharing features as they reviewed the plan selection and enrollment process together. While these services helped long-term, Medicare beneficiaries still desired additional aid from eHealth’s offerings.
Seniors Can Cultivate Real Relationships with LiveAdvise
LiveAdvise would ultimately become the answer to eHealth’s problem. By providing Medicare beneficiaries with the option to navigate the enrollment and shopping process face-to-face with an agent, the coverage company garnered trust and reassurance in selecting a plan.
Upon testing the LiveAdvise feature last spring, eHealth received positive feedback from its Medicare beneficiaries. Many customers told the company, “Seeing the licensed agent and being able to relate on a personal level makes a real difference.”
These sentiments are exactly why eHealth prioritizes using technology to serve its beneficiaries. As this year’s Medicare Annual Enrollment Period closes, eHealth maintains its goal of easing the coverage selection process for seniors with LiveAdvise in the future.
