With the passage of the healthcare law, many health plan members were perplexed by new rules and regulations and concerned about the effects mandates would have on their benefits, copays, and providers. In an attempt to ease concerns, health plans such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) published literature, updated Web sites, and sent various forms of communication to members to further educate them on the changes. However, members continued to reach out via the contact center, seeking answers regarding current claims and benefits and how their health insurance coverage might be affected in the future. As the law moves forward, members will be more engaged in making their own decisions about healthcare plans and about where to seek care, thus becoming better consumers. The transformation to healthcare consumerism has made it crucial for health plan contact centers to diligently work to optimize the customer experience.

Questions for Discussion
1. For a large company like BCBSNC with a lot of customers, what does “listening to customer” mean?
2. What were the challenges, the proposed solution, and the obtained results for BCBSNC?