The Texas Medical Association Insurance Trust was the overall winner in the Marketing Methods Competition at the annual Professional Insurance Marketing Association (PIMA) 2018 Consumer Insights Conference & Trade Show in June, beating out strong competition such as Prudential, MetLife, and The Hartford.
The trust, which offers insurance products and services for TMA members and their practices, faced an unusual set of challenges in the weeks leading up to the 2018 Affordable Care Act open enrollment period:
- The enrollment period had been cut from 12 weeks for 2017 to only six weeks for 2018;
- The trust’ primary provider had notified the trust’s insureds that their plan was being discontinued; and
- Almost a third of the TMA members were struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, one of the most devastating hurricanes in U.S. history.
TMA Insurance Trust identified several key plan components that competitors were not promoting during open enrollment. By shining a light on these benefits, the trust got more business and TMA members got a better deal:
- The trust found two little known, limited-availability waivers that helped practice owners and practice managers save money and make group coverage possible.
- Trust managers knew that physicians seeking individual coverage preferred PPOs vs. HMOs, but there are virtually no PPO plans available to individuals in Texas. The trust found a way for certain individual physicians to become eligible for a group PPO plan. This gave TMA members the plan they really wanted, for less money.
To get the word out about these benefits to members, the trust — represented by New York-based marketing firm Bodden Partners — used online advertising, emails, blog articles, its monthly newsletter, and social media. The result was double-digit increases in members served.
“We always put the needs of TMA members at the forefront of our marketing,” TMA Insurance Trust Vice President John Isgitt said. “I believe this is why we achieved the success we did, why we won this award for the second year.”
Created and endorsed by TMA, the TMA Insurance Trust helps physicians, their families, and their employees get the insurance coverage they need. The trust offers a wide range of insurance plans for individual physicians and medical groups, including medical, life, long-term disability, short-term disability, long-term care, dental, key person life insurance, key person disability insurance, and business overhead coverage.
Find more information on the TMA Insurance Trust’s website.
Last Updated On
June 28, 2018
Originally Published On
June 28, 2018