As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, so does the landscape of health insurance. These shifts have altered the way insurers provide services, but they’ve also shaped hiring practices. Here are some top trends to know and how they may affect your staffing needs.
Top Trends in Healthcare
In the immediate future, health insurers will continue to respond to a changing landscape, largely reshaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. While much of the focus will be on adjusting to regulatory updates and societal shifts, it’s also essential to consider how emerging trends will affect your health insurance staffing needs. Specifically, these trends will have major impacts on staffing in the near future:
- Broader health coverage, particularly the expansion of employer benefits
- A shift toward value-based care as it relates to healthcare costs
- A consistently growing enrollment in Medicare Advantage among seniors
- Data integration to streamline administrative functions
What Health Insurance Trends Mean for Staffing
Collectively, these trends will result in a growing need for experienced, knowledgeable, and highly qualified employees who can navigate the changing demands of the health insurance sector. Your organization may need to expand its staff to remain competitive and conduct effective outreach. You might require technical experts who can integrate complex systems. These employees will be an asset for cost-saving measures and improve the accuracy and accessibility of healthcare information.
Demand for Coordinators
An emphasis on whole-person employer benefits will lead health insurers to hire experienced coordinators who can manage clients. According to a report, 87% of United States-based employers plan to offer enhanced medical health benefits to retain their workforces.1 Your organization can hire knowledgeable coordinators to work directly with those sponsors. In these roles, coordinators can outline the benefits of expanded plans related to mental health, holistic wellness, and financial well-being.
Coordinators will be essential to organizations moving toward value-based care models. This model, which shares the risk between the provider and the payer, will become more prominent as insurers aim for financial stability amid an increase in chronic diseases. Nationally, the number of people living with multiple chronic conditions increased to 9.6% between 2020 and 2021 — a total increase of 5%.2 If your organization plans to adopt a value-based model as a response, you will need coordinators and representatives who can explain those changes to members in clear, understandable ways.
More Outreach Staff
Another major trend in the health insurance industry centers on the growing enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans. More seniors are enrolling in these plans due to rising healthcare costs. The number of available plans has grown as a result, more than doubling from 20 average health plans in 2018 to 43 plans in 2023.3
As more seniors switch to Medicare Advantage plans, they will undoubtedly have questions about the costs and coverage. Your organization may need additional outreach staff who can work directly with this population of members. These representatives can communicate with those users to describe the plan types and availability, ensuring they can make the best choice for their needs.
Need for Tech-Savvy Data Specialists
The health insurance industry relies on data, but it’s often fragmented across different systems. In response, many organizations will look to streamline this data, making it more easily accessible for members. This trend will require your company to have tech-savvy data specialists who can work with large, complex data sets across multiple systems. These data specialists and administrators can locate and systemize data logically, bringing clinical, financial, and administrative data into a single system. This work requires skilled individuals with highly technical abilities related to database management, data modeling, computer programming, and cybersecurity.
Over the coming years, the health insurance industry may undergo many changes. Make sure you have a qualified staff who can manage these new demands. Medix has over 20 years of experience in health insurance staffing solutions, and we’re prepared to help you find, attract, and retain top talent for your organization. Reach out today for more information about how we can help with your health insurance staffing needs.
