GoHealth’s Data Science Platform Draws 75% of Enrollments

Health insurance marketplace GoHealth says its investment in its data science platform is paying off.

The company launched its Encompass platform last year, and is now seeing it drive 75% of its enrollment, management said during a quarterly earnings call Thursday (March 14).

This is happening, CEO Vijay Kotte said, as GoHealth is expecting consumers to increasingly swap health plans.

“We want them to shop. We expected them to shop,” Kotte told analysts. “They are shopping. But when it comes to the appropriate time to make switches, it is either because they’ve got incrementally much better benefits, or in contrast, when they have a lot of change in their benefit structure.”

During the company’s most recent quarter, GoHealth conducted more than 300,000 “plan fit” checkups, enrolling more than two-thirds of those consumers into a better plan for their needs, Kotte said. Another 100,000-plus were told they were already in the best plan.

On a yearly basis, Kotte noted that this year’s annual enrollment period for Medicare was unique, pointing to an analysis from Milliman that showed that for the first time in recent years, benefits for Medicare Advantage Plans stayed relatively flat year over year. 

“This led to a market environment with minimal product differentiation, providing few incentives for consumers to switch plans,” he said.

As GoHealth began integrating Encompass more and more last year, PYMNTS pointed to it as an example of the ongoing digitization of the healthcare sector.

This shift is helpful to the older Americans who depend on the healthcare system, as navigating this system, and the insurance space, can often be frustrating.

“For older consumers often facing more complex healthcare needs, unified digital platforms that streamline the healthcare experience can be a game changer,” PYMNTS wrote last week.

Research by PYMNTS Intelligence shows that a single digital healthcare platform can let users easily manage medications, pay bills, talk with insurers and providers, and get access to comprehensive coverage information.

“Given these benefits, unified digital healthcare platforms have garnered interest among older generations, with approximately 65% of boomers and seniors expressing interest,” the report said. “Moreover, those who have already adopted these platforms reported high levels of satisfaction with their experiences.”

The data showed that 78% of baby boomers and seniors who received test results digitally were satisfied with the experience. And nearly three-quarters were satisfied with their experience using digital channels for healthcare-related payments or appointment scheduling.