Group Medicare Insights: Plan sponsor experience

Building trust through transparency: An interactive guide for plan sponsors

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When plan sponsors build trust with retirees, they promote better health outcomes and boost member satisfaction.

With this interactive guide, you can gain a deeper understanding of the benefits of transparency, learn trust-building exercises and explore strategies that strengthen bonds with Group Medicare Advantage (GMA) retirees.

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Trust-building exercises for plan sponsors

Plan sponsors can play an active role in fostering greater trust among GMA members.

Use simple language and visual aids to provide retirees with accurate information about a GMA plan’s offerings.

Improved patient outcomes. An example of a member-focused customer service platform, Humana’s Custom Connect^™ is built on a one-of-a-kind concierge model that emphasizes end-to-end service and first-call resolution. When retirees are encouraged to spend the time they need with support agents to resolve issues, they often gain greater confidence in their healthcare journey and become more engaged in their own care.

Enhanced market strength through member retention. By providing retirees with up-front plan data, such as costs, coverage details, provider networks and quality metrics, plan sponsors can prevent misunderstandings and build credibility, resulting in higher member satisfaction and retention rates.

Innovative plan design. When plan sponsors communicate regularly with members, they learn more about how the coverage they offer impacts real-life scenarios and how they can improve these offerings for a distinct competitive edge.

Offer retirees a plan with personalized support and exceptional customer service to address individual healthcare needs and questions.

Communicate proactively with retirees to understand their evolving health needs and preferences, not just during enrollment but throughout the year.

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Research from Deloitte found the most trustworthy organizations outperform their competitors by up to 400% in terms of total market value.¹

What are some actions you’re taking to increase trust among retirees enrolled in a GMA plan?

Sources:

“TrustID: Create competitive advantage for loyalty through trust,” Deloitte Digital, last accessed June 20, 2025, https://www.deloittedigital.com/us/en/accelerators/trustid.html.

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Try to break down these trust barriers

It’s not always easy to translate greater transparency into deeper trust. Fortunately, these best practices can help overcome key obstacles.

Obstacle:

Limited availability of health plan and pricing data.

Solution:
Drive awareness of personalized service platforms such as Humana’s Custom Connect™. This award-winning customer service model offers high-touch interaction with each retiree, ensuring swift action that helps meet retirees’ needs more quickly.

Solution:
Transparency about quality, performance and value can build trust. By providing retirees with performance metrics around healthcare providers and their services, plans sponsors can deliver meaningful information while demonstrating their commitment to retirees’ financial and physical well-being.

Solution:
Educate retirees about the impact of transparency laws and publicly provide as much information as possible. Online channels can be powerful vehicles for enabling members to fully grasp their coverage offerings and for plan sponsors to provide clear, transparent information.

Obstacle:

A confusing and complex competitive landscape.

Obstacle:

Difficulty enrolling in a plan or finding a healthcare specialist.

To learn more, visit Humana Group Medicare

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