US Health Insurers Show Experience Improvements

2026-06-16 · Source: Featured Blogs - Forrester · Field: Business & Management — Marketing, Branding & Advertising, Operations & Process Management, Human Resources & Workforce Development · Depth: Intermediate, short

Summary

US health insurers demonstrated notable improvements in their Total Experience Score and Brand Experience Index (BX Index™) averages year over year, with the Customer Experience Index (CX Index™) average rising for the first time since 2021, reversing a three-time decline in four years. This positive shift was significantly driven by higher ratings from noncustomers, impacting the BX and overall Total Experience Scores across nearly all insurers. While CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield maintained its industry-leading position across all three indices, Forrester's new Employee Experience Index (EX Index™) revealed that three of six assessed health insurers have employee experiences that could impede their total experience ambitions. Customer feedback consistently highlighted the importance of clear answers and effective first-contact resolution as primary drivers for improved CX. Forrester plans to release detailed reports on CX, BX, and trust in the coming weeks.

Key takeaway

For executives overseeing customer and brand strategy at US health insurers, these improved experience scores signal a critical opportunity to build on recent gains. You should prioritize investments in employee experience initiatives, as current EX gaps could hinder your total experience improvements. Focus your customer service efforts on ensuring clear answers and first-contact resolution, which are proven drivers of CX, to sustain this positive momentum and convert noncustomer awareness into future growth.

Key insights

US health insurers show experience score improvements, driven by noncustomer perception and customer clarity, though employee experience remains a challenge.

Principles

• Noncustomer perception significantly influences brand and total experience.
• Employee experience directly impacts a firm's total experience potential.
• Clear, comprehensive answers and first-contact resolution are critical CX drivers.

In practice

• Improve noncustomer perception to boost BX and Total Experience.
• Address employee experience gaps to enhance overall total experience.
• Prioritize clear answers and first-contact resolution in customer service.

Topics

• US Health Insurers
• Total Experience Score
• Brand Experience Index
• Customer Experience Index
• Employee Experience Index
• Customer Service

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Featured Blogs - Forrester.