While it's been on the horizon for years, the payer market is finally taking the leap toward a "consumer movement," said Curtis Barnett, president and CEO of Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield.
On the "Becker's Payer Issues Podcast," Mr. Barnett said the insurer is focusing on meeting members where they are and expanding things like telehealth and digital capabilities. Each of these steps focuses on helping members make personalized care decisions.
Below is an excerpt from the podcast. Listen to the full interview here.
Curtis Barnett: We believe that there's been a much bigger, fundamental change that has finally happened. We're finally seeing the consumer movement in healthcare that we've been predicting for the past decade. Our members have shown over this past year that they're much more willing to be an active participant in their healthcare decisions, and they're starting to act more like consumers do in other markets.
This movement toward a consumer market, it's really inched along slowly for years in healthcare, but really over these last 15 months, it's begun to take a giant leap forward. So over this past year, I think in particular our members have been telling us what matters to them. Safety matters. Convenience matters. Options matter. The patient experience matters. We don't think things will go away when the pandemic is finally behind us.