As more and more boomers age into Medicare, the landscape is adapting to a newer generation of high-tech and exceedingly knowledgeable seniors. Now more than ever, people are using the internet to scout health care options—ultimately changing the industry along the way.
According to Statista, out of Americans 50 years or older:
- 70 percent own a smartphone
- 90 percent own a laptop or desktop
Lauren Guinta, vice president of sales at UMA, says that United Medicare Advisors has been challenged to grow based on seniors’ new needs and wants.
“In the recent years, United Medicare Advisors has adapted alongside the needs and wants of technology-savvy seniors,” Guinta says. “It’s been an exciting experience to watch the industry change as seniors come in and demand better execution and user interactions. It has allowed us to give our customers an enhanced, more personalized online service and we couldn’t be more excited about the future.”
The Medicare process: technology use
As Medicare moves to a more digital landscape, seniors are able to have a faster, more streamlined application and approval process. This change also gives seniors a greater opportunity to be more hands-on in the process.
But despite the rapid growth of technology adoption, many seniors many seniors prefer to work with an expert agent when enrolling in Medicare, says Guinta.
“Research has shown us that not only are seniors today more active in managing their health, they also prefer to have more hands-on, professional guidance along the way,” Guinta explains. “We have absolutely no plans to remove our agents from the Medicare-buying process. We firmly believe that they add an invaluable, intangible benefit to even the most tech-savvy seniors.”
Guinta believes that this preference for human assistance is not specific to just this demographic; many generations find that working with an agent in a variety of industries (insurance, tax preparation, etc.) can help ensure precision and the best outcome — and help them avoid making any costly mistakes.
The Medicare process: Agent support
Using Medicare comparison shopping as an example, three-fourths of seniors still prefer having human assistance when it comes to sorting through Medicare enrollment, according to Deft research. Over the last four years, nearly 75 percent of seniors surveyed indicated that they enrolled in a plan with the help of a person — and there’s no indication of that number decreasing anytime soon
Ultimately, there are hundreds of different Medicare options that seniors have to sift through. Using online technologies can help them understand what is available — but an agent can give personalized advice that technology doesn’t always offer. By combining the two together, seniors are able to find the perfect mix between technology and personalized advice.
United Medicare Advisors combines sophisticated technologies with the knowledge and customer service of licensed insurance agents to give seniors a full user experience that benefits both them and their pocketbooks.
