Episode Details

This week’s episode features a conversation with Sara Hames, Principal at NBS Advisors. Navigating health plans is a complicated process BUT it shouldn't be. By simplifying the available options and providing a phone number to call, members and employers can make the most informed decisions for them. Also, providing a better healthcare experience involves educating advisors on attractive packages and networks that they can actually offer their clients.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

• 02:54 Improving health plan members’ user experience
• 05:27 Simplifying healthcare shopping for more informed decisions
• 11:16 Conversations personalize the healthcare experience
• 13:20 Educating advisors on available plans and networks
• 17:19 Provide an aggregator number and the clients will come

Quotes:

04:23 “There’s a significant disconnect between what employers think their plans do and what they actually do.”

04:56 “To motivate you to be a good consumer, go out and shop for healthcare. But guess what, you can’t in most cases. In most cases, it is impossible to find out the cost of a service before we incur it. So how is a member supposed to shop?”

05:51 “You’ve already learned I’m not the HSA-qualified plans. And if you stay away from those, you can offer free services to members.”

15:45 “That right provider is generally a direct contracted provider and those types of providers are eager to put together bundled pricing for employers who are willing to steer their employees to them for a set price but at no cost to the member.”

18:35 “The other tool that we’re using quite a bit is the Brainshark, which is just a PowerPoint with a voice-over, but we can put it on the Internet, we can put it on YouTube and people can go back to it as often as they want.”