No News is Good News – Why Private Exchanges Won’t Be Making Any Headlines

No News is Good News – Why Private Exchanges Won’t Be Making Any Headlines

Have you ever seen a headline that reads:

“Private Health Exchange Fails due to Technological Shortcomings”?no news is good news

No, we’re pretty sure you haven’t and very certain you won’t. The issues that have plagued the public exchanges across the nation, including the federal exchange, are primarily related to the technology behind the exchange and a failure to make the user experience the top priority.

As open enrollment begins again, public exchanges have been scrambling to improve their technology in the hopes of avoiding disastrous open enrollment periods or repeating the poor rollout their exchanges had a year ago. Many states have switched vendors, some have started from scratch, a few are turning things over to the federal exchange while others are making sure they have a good backup plan (i.e. paper applications) available. Call centers are well staffed, phased-in rollouts are being tested and just about everyone is holding their breath. It will take some time before success or failure can be determined, but one thing is very certain – lots and lots of money has gone into these public systems.

It’s amazing to hear now that these public exchanges are working hard to improve the user experience and streamline the process. Now it’s important. If the user experience wasn’t a priority while developing the exchange, one has to wonder what was? Here’s what is necessary for a successful exchange:

  1. Employee self-administration – a portal that allows employees to update personal information, make selections, review relevant documents and find relevant forms.
  2. Ease of administration – technology that doesn’t require a degree in rocket science to use, or an advanced degree for training, a portal that employees find intuitive and easy to use.
  3. Flexibility and reliability – secure, safe and easily configurable technology that makes changing benefits and adding employees easy.

Imagine the money that would have been saved, the headaches spared and the angst eliminated had the public exchanges simply put the user experience first; something private exchanges have done from the very beginning. Private exchange providers don’t get a do-over. There are no second chances. Private exchanges are built on sound assessments and on technology that is reliable and secure. Private exchange providers are held accountable for their work. Most private exchanges are built on years of experience in benefits administration and a thorough understanding that the user experience is key to success.

Maybe the second time around will be the charm for the public exchanges. Maybe not. Thankfully, trusted and secure private exchanges are here to stay and won’t be making any headlines.