Courageous Communications - Case Study Three - Market Research - With the cost of health care insurance for businesses continuing to increase at a rapid rate, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, which represents primarily small businesses…

Case Study Three
Don’t Assume You Know Your Audience
Marketing Research

Situation
With the cost of health care insurance for businesses continuing to increase at a rapid rate, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, which represents primarily small businesses, was looking for options and opportunities to provide its members with cost effective health care benefits (without reducing benefits).

The Minnesota Chamber looked to their health care partner, Medica, the primary choice of health plans for small business owners, to conduct a market research study among member employers of up to 100 employees.

Challenge
Health care issues were thoroughly discussed in the Minnesota marketplace. So the challenge was in getting the public’s attention yet one more time on a very complex and difficult issue, where solutions could offer only minimum to moderate relief. The other challenge that needed to be addressed was helping employers and employees understand the differences in their viewpoints, and the public’s lack of connection between lifestyle choice, benefit costs and benefit selection.

Solution
The solution included the creation of a research plan that connected the views of employers’ and employees’ on the status of current health benefits with expectations, the needs surrounding health benefits, employers’ ability to offer benefits along with choice and cost factors of benefits. The research also tested employers’ and employees’ reactions to new product benefit scenarios and reactions to possible cost-saving ideas.

The purpose of the research was to:

• • •1. Give the Chamber data regarding: members’ perceptions of their health benefits so that the
• • •1.Chamber staff could more effectively communicate about the issue to:
• • • •a. Their members,
• • • •b. The state legislature to lobby for changes in state mandates,
• • • •c. The media to demonstrate their value to the business community and as a reliable
• • • • • information resource on issues important to their members;
• • •2. Determine what hurdles needed to be eliminated (through either products or state
• • •2. regulations) in order to provide a health plan that met the needs of the Chamber’s
• • •2. membership and their employees;
• • •3. To determine whether the Chamber could develop it’s own health plan product;
• • •4. To ascertain whether or not it this was a realistic plan of action.

Results
Focus groups and telephone interviews were used to collect information on the following:
• • •1. Employers’ and employees’ attitudes about their need to provide health benefits;
• • •2. Employers’ and employees’ attitudes regarding employee financial accountability in health
• • •2. plan/care decisions;
• • •3. Employers’ and employees’ attitudes on acceptable ways to reduce health benefits costs;
• • •4. Employers’ and employees’ attitudes on news ways of purchasing health benefits and
• • •4.customizing benefits.

The results, presented at the Chamber’s Annual Fall member meeting was one of a number of key studies used to increase the focus on rising health care costs and engage state legislators in a renewed debate to address health care costs for small businesses and the general business climate.