Two-thirds of insured Americans say they would trust a health insurer’s artificial intelligence copilot to accurately inform them about a health plan’s benefits, a survey conducted by virtual care navigation platform Pager Health and market research firm The Harris Poll reveals.
Of the respondents, 66% believe AI can correctly personalize digital healthcare with the goals and needs of the member. Even more respondents think AI can find doctors accepting new members and schedule appointments.
The survey, shared exclusively with Fierce Healthcare, provide insights into how members want insurers to offer a better customer experience, sometimes through AI. However, health plans do not fully capitalize on this opportunity.
Only 41% of people say they receive personalized messages, while 17% don’t receive health plan recommendations at all. About one-third of respondents say an insurer’s wellness programs would be more enticing if they received progress alerts, biometric information or claims data.
“Only health plans that fully leverage the power of AI to analyze the wealth of health data available will be able to meet this demand and, in the process, boost member engagement and satisfaction,” said Rita Sharma, chief product officer at Pager Health, in a news release.
Just 33% of respondents are confident in the way AI is deployed today versus two years ago. That opinion is split by those who are less confident (30%) and equally confident (37%).
Consumers’ trust toward AI for some individuals extends to facial scanning technology to detect health vitals (like blood oxygen and stress levels) and mental health disorders. Others think AI can provide value on how to improve sleep and lose weight.
Nearly three-quarters of insured Americans also want to receive health and well-being recommendations from their health plan after a medical visit regarding a specific medical concern. And an overwhelming majority of respondents said they want health plan apps to allow for easy scheduling of follow-up appointments as well as to give access to around-the-clock care.
Poor customer experience, perhaps unsurprisingly, reduces trust in a health plan for most respondents.
Pager’s survey found significant consternation among members around provider directories and benefits questions, an inability to contact customer support and their plan’s lack of focus on preventive care. Some solutions to these pain points include a more streamlined communication experience with nurses that understand their medical history, navigational support and immediate guidance. Others wish their plan would offer health coaching.
The survey asked nearly 2,100 American adults, most of which had insurance, questions online in early November. Pager uses Google Cloud’s generative AI and a proprietary copilot to help members.