Assignment: External Influences on Consumer Choices
Health care consumers receive various communications about different health care options. It is important to understand consumer demographics to be able to determine the impact (positive or negative) media, social networks, branding, marketing, and communication play in health care consumer choices. In this assignment you will research managed care plans to determine what impact social media and other external influences have on consumer behaviors.
Research the different managed care insurance plans listed below by reviewing various healthcare organizations or resources (e.g., Kaiser as an HMO). Consider within your research who might access the health care systems (i.e., age, generation, socioeconomic status, military/veteran, and health care insurance plans, etc.) List 2 advantages for the HMOs, PPOs, and POSs and 2 disadvantages of each of the same in a chart like the one below:
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Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)
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Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)
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Point of Service (POS)
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Write a 90- to 175-word response to the following prompts. Consider the information you listed above and what you know about consumer behavior when you compose your response.
1. Explain the impact media and social networking have on consumers when choosing the most appropriate managed care health insurance plans. Consider the positive and negative impact.
2. Discuss how branding, marketing, and communication influences a consumer's choice when considering an appropriate managed care health insurance plan. Consider positive and negative influence.
3. Explain how communication and education to consumers differs by generations when marketing managed care health insurance plans.
a. Consider why it is important to communicate and educate differently between generations.
Cite 2 peer-reviewed, scholarly, or similar references.