Don't expect health insurers to come out ahead on any sort of popularity contest.
New analysis finds that carriers have hit a 10-year low in consumer satisfaction, and are the fourth least-liked industry, ranking only above the airline industry, cable companies and Internet service providers.
The American Consumer Satisfaction Index—which surveyed nearly 7,000 consumers—found that customer satisfaction with health insurance fell 4.1 percent to 70, the lowest level for the category since 2005.
Recommended For You
Policyholder satisfaction with health insurance is down for the first time in three years. Though individual policy satisfaction remained stable with a score of 74, satisfaction for group policies took a big hit, declining from 72 to 67.
The dissatisfaction is largely to high premiums, deductibles and copays, as well as lack of choice.
"Consumers who get group insurance through their employer often don't have many choices, which adds to dissatisfaction because it is more difficult to punish insurers for a poor experience, bad customer service, or high prices by switching providers," ACSI Director David VanAmburg said. "Where there is more meaningful competition among individual plans, we are seeing on average lower costs and higher customer satisfaction."
Customers are most dissatisfied with call center operations — which now rank as the "least appealing" part of the policyholder experience, with a score of 68, according to the index. Consumers also didn't score carrier websites much higher (71).
Here's the ranking of the largest carriers:
- UnitedHealth, plus 3 percent, 73
- Blue Cross Blue Shield, minus 7 percent, 69
- Wellpoint, minus 10 percent, 66
- Aetna, minus 6 percent, 65
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
