Health plans undergoing a platform upgrade often consider how their changes affect staff and members but must also weigh its effect on distribution partners. These partners, such as brokers, gain and retain members for health plans. Keep in mind how future enhancements to the health plan’s platform could benefit brokers.
1. Provide a Simple and Intuitive User Experience
Provide brokers the tools they need to manage their book of businesses and increase their capability to gain and retain members on one user-friendly, customizable portal. Give partners a polished experience through a curated platform to provide them the resources need to increase renewal rates.
Carefully crafted portals and platforms mean little to help plans if end users can’t use them to their full extent. The user experience could mean the difference between a broker making full use of the tools provided or just dropping off.
Health plans need to ensure that they have a say in the final platform that brokers will use. Common configurations include health plan-specific branding, the tools available to brokers, and platform navigation.
2. Invest in Tools that Help Brokers Grow and Maintain Membership
Provide brokers with the tools they need to provide quotes to members and have their customers enroll directly in health plans. Distribution partners need to have direct oversight over their members and leads. Granting partners with specific tools designed to attract and retain members will benefit health plans in the long run.
An integrated solution allows health plans to link the broker and consumer experience, granting brokers complete insight into the member’s journey. The more control brokers have over the shopping and enrollment process, the more communication and guidance can be tailored to the member. Health plans should provide the means for partners to communicate with, provide quotes to, and support members.
3. Ensure that Broker’s Members Stay Their Members
Grant brokers peace of mind knowing their client base is protected because once a client enters the portal, they stay with the broker. Making a point of ensuring brokers keep their members will help health plans gain more distribution partners and benefit from their success.
Health plans need to ensure that brokers have a streamlined process to have their National Producer Number (NPN) linked with an enrollment. Providing brokers with personalized URLs for employees to enroll on their own is one way health plans can ensure that the broker NPN is associated with the enrollment.
Catering to distribution partners allows health plans to grow and retain their membership at amazing rates. Health plans looking to revamp their approach to brokers and the shopping and enrollment journey should look towards W3LL. W3LL can analyze your current platform and help carve out new strategies to improve health offerings.
