• by Carol Banks Setter , August 15, 2013

At this time of year, many businesses are negotiating with healthcare insurance providers to determine which benefits package to offer employees. Although there is uncertainty as to how the Affordable Care Act will fit into future plan selection, at least for the upcoming year, insurance companies and benefit providers will continue to woo businesses with their plans, pricing and employee care programs.

In the midst of the ongoing discussion whether proposed healthcare changes will result in increases or savings to families’ budgets, moms may find themselves trying to stretch their healthcare dollars by relying on credible healthcare content for illness prevention and lifestyle wellness. This provides an optimal opportunity for managed care companies to engage in the dialogue and build rapport with members and increase their satisfaction.

Many benefit care providers currently offer diverse content on their sites, but they may want to review their online topical strategies against these suggestions that directly relate to moms.

• Check your category labeling. Some sites offer moms content relative to “babies” and “children.” However, moms of teens may not easily find the critical health information they need for this group. There needs to be greater emphasis on a “teens” category, providing moms with direct access to this crucial information.

• Provide a section moms can promote to their college-aged/young adult family members. Since many benefit programs cover college students, moms want their sons and daughters in this age group to have top-notch advice. Millennials tend to scour the Internet in their own search for medical advice, some of which is not mainstream. It would be beneficial to moms to have a protected area on the benefits site to recommend to their older children for age-appropriate content. This may help balance what their young adults are finding through an unqualified, healthcare Internet search.

• Encourage moms to start an actionable plan. Instead of just providing moms with random pieces of advice that they compile into a list, make the content more portable. Have a way moms can drag suggestions into a calendar, adding comments on how to apply the suggestions to their families. Empower them to go from planning to action. For example, let them drag into a calendar a 30-day exercise program with daily activities to do with their middle school aged child. In a similar way, allow moms to save articles with a notes’ functionality (to identify why they were attracted to the article) as well as a way to save information into folders that they can name and organize. Mom with children of different ages will appreciate being able to go directly to content for a specific child without having to sort through compiled content they saved for multiple children.

• Build a Mom-to-Mom “forum.” Forums in healthcare are tricky since healthcare companies are concerned about the reporting of an adverse effect through open dialogue. However, a panel of moms can write and curate content to share on the forum, let the audience vote on the most useful articles and introduce new topics of interest. The benefits manager could also invite selected Moms to participate on the panel to increase their sense of forum ownership.

• Spur behavior change through catalyst programs. Most individuals find it helpful to be in a support group when major behavioral changes are attempted. From smoking cessation to weight reduction, offer small groups which are led by a motivator, not only to address serious health issues but to provide for community, friendly competition and healthy results.

These suggestions not only will attract moms, but they will help to provide conversation starters for moms to share in their social networks. This increases awareness and buzz for the benefits program, and it also appeals to moms’ interest in sharing strategies that have put them in control of their families’ healthcare.