Are Heath Insurers Keeping Up in the Digital Race? Improving Health Plan Digital Experiences

The health insurance industry has gone digital – but there’s still a lot of work to do. New research from J.D. Power reveals that insurers aren’t always providing the high-quality health plan digital experiences that consumers have come to expect through their interactions with businesses in other industries. Since this could negatively impact member experiences and even affect member retention, health insurance carriers are focusing on strategies to improve their digital offerings.  

Healthcare Digital Experiences Aren’t Meeting Expectations 

The J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Healthcare Digital Experience Study shows that health insurance members in both Medicare Advantage and commercial plans are using the websites and mobile apps their plans provide as the main channels of communication. However, satisfaction with these options is low compared to satisfaction levels in other industries.  

The customer satisfaction score for health insurance mobile apps is 653 (out of 1,000) among commercial health plan members and 597 among Medicare Advantage members. In contrast, the customer satisfaction score for property and casualty insurer apps is 700 and it’s 794 for full-service wealth management companies. 

Why This Matters 

The takeaway from the J.D. Power study is not that mobile apps aren’t working – quite the opposite. J.D. Power says overall customer satisfaction is higher among members who use their plan’s app compared to members who use their plan’s website or phone to communicate – at 636 for mobile app users compared to 607 for both website and phone users.  

Mobile apps are a convenient way of accessing plan information. Carriers can also use apps to engage members – if the apps work well. If carriers don’t offer apps or they offer apps that don’t provide good experiences, member satisfaction may suffer, which may negatively impact renewals. Indeed, J.D. Power reports that 85% Medicare Advantage members with digital satisfaction scores of 801 or higher say they will definitely renew – which is more than double the rate of members with digital experiences of 500 or less. In group health plans, digital experiences were also found to impact members’ impressions of their employers, which could also impact their employers’ intent to renew. 

What Do Members Want from Mobile Experiences? 

Poor digital experiences are leading to low member satisfaction rates and undermining renewal business. Clearly, health plan digital experiences need to improve – but how? 

There are three elements of a positive mobile experience: 

• Ease of use. If an app isn’t user friendly, members won’t use it. The app needs to function well, be easy to navigate, and provide features such as coverage detail with deductibles and premiums, claims management to track insurance claims, provider directories, and payment options.  

• Self-service and support options. When members need information, self-service is often the easiest and fastest way to get it. Apps should have FAQs and search functions that make it simple for members to help themselves. However, sometimes they will need support, meaning apps should also make it easy to connect with someone via phone and/or messaging channels. 

• Engagement. Since most members won’t have questions related to their health plan that frequently, a mobile app needs to provide additional value such tools and resources to help members get the most out of their benefits, utilize other services such as wellness programs, and improve their health.   

Building a Strong Technological Foundation 

The J.D. Power study proves that offering an app isn’t enough. To lead the digital race and win over members, health carriers need to offer apps that deliver enjoyable experiences and help members make the most of their plans. You can’t do this on a rigid or outdated technological foundation.  

Technology changes fast – and consumer expectations change with it. With an agile and modular technology foundation, you can adopt the tools you need now and add other tools later. This allows you to easily adjust to changing demands, without having to completely overhaul your systems.  

Integration is also key. Members need access to health plan information that comes from other systems. To make this work, data needs to flow through the payer systems and then reach members in a way that’s easy to read, access, and understand, which requires seamless integration.  

FJA’s modular platform, supported by a strong partnership that provides industry expertise and strategic collaboration, gives carriers the technological foundation they need to support positive, productive digital experiences. Learn more.