Annual Survey of Covered California Members

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Problem

Covered California needs reliable data on the experiences of its members and others seeking health insurance.

Since the 2013 establishment of California’s state-based health insurance marketplace, Covered California, there has been a need to understand the experiences and opinions of those who use it to shop for or enroll in coverage. Such insights help Covered California as it works to increase the number of insured Californians.

Specifically, to improve outreach and communications strategies and enrollment processes, Covered California needs reliable research on:

Past experiences with health insurance
Awareness of and rationale for coming to Covered California
Experiences of the marketplace
Understanding of available plans

Solution

NORC has conducted an annual survey of Covered California members since 2018.

Since 2018, NORC has conducted the design, implementation, data analysis, weighting, and final reporting of Covered California’s annual Member Survey. Every year since, we’ve surveyed 4,000 or more Californians to:

Track key performance indicators over time
Understand consumer experience journeys
Identify opportunities and strategies for improving enrollment and retention
Identify areas for targeted research and strategic initiatives
Facilitate insight and reporting (in conjunction with Covered California administrative data)

Covered California is particularly interested in members who cancelled coverage, and new, renewing, terminating, and “funnel” consumers (who have a Covered California account but do not enroll). This led us to develop sample designs, targeted outreach plans and materials, and weighted analysis of these groups. We also conduct trend analyses of year-to-year data to provide further feedback and insight into the perspectives and experiences of Covered California’s consumers.

Result

Covered California uses NORC’s yearly findings to inform programs and policies.

NORC’s annual research has helped Covered California refine and improve its programs and policies. Key findings about members from our 2023 survey include:

The monthly premium amount was the most important factor behind plan renewal or enrollment.
Almost half of Covered California’s 2022 members reported delaying or not visiting a doctor because they were worried about cost. (Bronze or Catastrophic plan enrollees were significantly more likely to report this than those in Silver, Gold, or Platinum plans.)
One quarter of 2022 members reported needing a mental health professional that year.

By helping Covered California calibrate its programs and policies to better meet consumer needs, we are furthering their mission to increase the number of insured Californians.