This is the sixth in a series of findings from Data Decisions Group’s 2022 Medicare Preferences Study. We explore the differences in importance Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement members place on attributes of their respective plans. While important to members of both plan types, access to specific providers and network resources is, by far, the main reason Medicare Supplement members choose the plans they do. Among 19 different plan attributes and features, more than 1 in 5 Medicare Supplement members identify their network coverage as the most important one. Among Medicare Advantage members, access to their preferred providers is one of three important attributes; prescription drug coverage and add-on benefits are nearly equal to network coverage in terms of importance for these consumers. Since network options are generally more limited with Medicare Advantage plans, it’s apparent that members are willing to trade off any HMO-like restrictions associated with their plans for the additional, low or no-cost benefits these plans offer, such as vision coverage, dental insurance, and, especially, prescription drug coverage. In most situations Medicare Supplement plans, unlike Medicare Advantage plans, offer these features only with additional premium costs. Medicare Supplement providers should recognize that there are a couple of unambiguous motivators for many consumers. First, access to their preferred doctors and specialists is of paramount importance, and second (related to the first) members need to believe that the premiums they pay are worth the value of that network access. A word about the methodology for this part of the research: The shares of importance for plan features were determined through a choice exercise known as Maximum Differential Scaling, or MaxDiff. In this exercise, respondents are asked to choose the most important and least important attribute from a short list of all the possible attributes. This choice exercise is repeated many times, with respondents seeing each of the 19 attributes several times, but in different combinations. All of the differences between Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement members in the chart above are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Data Decisions Group conducted the 2022 Medicare Preferences Study, a large, nationwide study of Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement alternatives among 2,324 current Medicare-qualified consumers and 64-year-olds who will become eligible soon. The online study was fielded between March 28 and April 11, 2022. The margin of error for this study is approximately ± 1.5%. For more information about the research contact

This is the fifth in a series of findings of Data Decisions Group’s 2022 Medicare Preferences Study. Here, we review brand loyalty metrics for providers of Medicare Supplement coverage.

This is the fourth in a series of findings of Data Decisions Group’s 2022 Medicare Preferences Study. Here, we review brand loyalty metrics for providers of Medicare Advantage coverage. In Article #5, we’ll look at the same information among the major providers of Medicare Supplement plans.

This is the third in a series of findings of Data Decisions Group’s 2022 Medicare Preferences Study. Here, we review brand loyalty metrics for the category overall. In Article #4, we’ll look at the same information among the major providers individually.

This is the second in a series of findings of Data Decisions Group’s 2022 Medicare Preferences Study. In Article #1, we discussed the differences between age-ins and current plan members when it comes to determining the importance of Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan features.

DDG’s Medicare Options Consumer Key Drivers Study quantifies the reasons Medicare-eligible (as well as those soon to be eligible, age-ins) consumers make the decisions they do regarding the Medicare options available to them.

First, the consumer will have from October 15th to December 7th, 2018 for AEP.  Then from January 1st to March 31st, 2019 there will be an open enrollment period. What communication plan do you have to first indicate that you would like to be the healthcare provider and then insure they are satisfied with their choice? At DDG, we segment this audience into market segments*: Consumers who wish to become a Medicare Advantage Member:  1,049,182 Individuals who prefer to purchase Medicare Supplement Insurance:  1,255,367 Persons who desire PDP (Part D) only:  937,833 Dual Eligible individuals:  488,602 Special Needs Persons (SNP):  6,621,042 Turning 65**           3,342,487 Turning 66**           3,342,487 Turning 67**           3,236,222 Movers***                1,305,457 These audiences are very useful in AEP campaigns—direct mail and Facebook.  We call these custom audiences-dataFaces.   However, OEP will present a different challenge.  Our market(ing) research does indicate that many consumers can not accurately describe the form of Medicare coverage they possess. Do you have a Medicare Advantage Plan? Does it include prescription drug coverage? Did you purchase a Medicare Supplement policy? Are you dependent on only Medicare Part A and Part B? Thus, it is certainly understandable that the member can become very dissatisfied with their coverage during the following months.  For example, did the individual consumer grasp that the PDP selected should match the prescription drugs that they are currently using? Does your customer service groups have training that enables them to assist the consumer in making the choice that optimizes their satisfaction?   Or does your member learn that they had choices from their neighbor and thus becomes irate that your firm did not explain. To measure your risk of “members switching” you can consider both a. market research and b. churn analytics.   Obviously, the goal of the two exercises is different but both can provide you with keen insight for member behavior in OEP.