Hcs_539_Positioning_and_Differentiation

Running Head: Positioning and Differentiation HCS/539 Positioning and Differentiation BlueCross BlueShield and United Health Care Binta Ngalla University of Phoenix Instructor: Andrea Linder September 19, 2011 Running Head: Positioning and Differentiation Positioning and Differentiation is a marketing term use to expose health care organizations to the right target. Today we will be positioning and differentiating two health care Organizations, the BlueCross BlueShield, and United Health Care. BlueCross Blue Shield is a health care organization that has been around for many decades. They are known as one of the best health insurance providers in the nation. The organization has demonstration their commitment to the society and the society has accepted them. BlueCross BlueShield health organization provides benefit nationwide throughout the country and abroad. They make it easier for their consumer to access health care treatment where ever he or she is and when needed. That gives policy holder some peace of mind knowing that help is around the corner in case of emergency. United Health Care on the other hand, is a fairly new organization, like any other health care organization that just pops ups so does United Health Care. Through my former job, we were provided health care benefits through their organization. So I had the opportunity of dealing with both health care organizations. The company I worked for used BlueCross BlueShield, and later switched to United Health Care. What I realized with BlueCross BlueShield is that, their pricing went down, not as expensive as years ago when they started. When there were only few health care insurance at the time. Well, as far as health care industries kept popping up here, and there they figure out if they didn’t reduce their price; they will be cut off the game. BlueCross BlueShield will cost a patient Running Head: Positioning and Differentiation ($50) fifty dollars when a patient visit the emergency room, and ($20) when a patient visit his or her physician. In case of any major surgery or CAT scan, the patient will pay ($1,000.00) One thousand dollars up front before the insurance pick up the slacks. On the other hand, United Health care’s pricing is higher than BlueCross BlueShield. The patient would pay ($150.00) to Care Now, ($100.00 ) one hundred dollars to the emergency room, ($25) twenty five dollars to visit a doctor, for emergency room visit for any major surgery, the patient’s deductable will be (1,500.00) one thousand five hundred. As we can see the price compares’, United health care is more expensive that BlueCross BlueShield. I wondered why my company decided to drop the health care insurance with a lower cost and went with the more costly one. I came to discover that, my company was receiving a much better deal from United Health Care. They are what they say they are, but most health care organization cannot say the same. They also provide service, which would allow their patients to use the money for “certain eligibility medical and dependent care expenses,” (BlueCross BlueShield, (2011). Running Head: Positioning and Differentiation BlueCross BlueShield stands behind their services. The people love this organization because of the huge services they provide. They are dedicated to serve the people who are under their care, and they have been doing this for several decades. Although their services are expensive for a self employed worker; however most people do stick with them. The organization has good customer support; clients do not have a long wait on the phone to speak with customer representative. The add value to clientele support and services. Their products are tailored to attract their clienteles. They provide you him or her with the answers needed, and also instruct the patient on whatever that he or she needed to do. On the other hand, I never heard of United Health Care until I signed up with them as my insurance provider. I believe they have very little exposure of their company as far as positioning strategy is concerned, United Health Care need more strategic positioning to do. However, they provide gift cards to their customers if they sign up with them. The gift cards starts from $50, $75, $100, depending on the program the patient selected. Another program they offered that BlueCross Blue BlueShield did not offer was disability insurance. I thought the program was reasonable, if an individual was in an accident, and break his or her finger, he or she is going to be paid $ 1,000 dollar/week, and the premium was only $8 per month. I did take advantage of that even though I did not get to use it. The best part about BlueCross Blue Shield is that the patients do not have to be in the net work to buy their products. Their flexibility makes it easier to get anything wherever Running Head: Positioning and Differentiation the patient is. Also, the patient would not need to pay extra for out of net work. That way their patients do not need to worry when they leave one state to another. BlueCross BlueShield. United Health Care does not offer these privileges. For example, I wanted to get a pair of glasses and I could not find the frame I liked and decided to go out of their net work, I paid more than if I used their network Ophthalmologist. United Health Care can be found on the Web, on some television channels in addition to flyers. As far as positioning is concerned they need more ideas to attract customers to the origination. They need to create more ways to build customer relationship by his or her service delivery. Consumers need to have the guarantee that, the organization will always be there when help is needed, and United Health Care needs to prove that to the consumers. These are some suggestion for United Health Care that will bring more exposure to the organization; using customer direction, and having a full knowledge of the target so that as to continuously create a superior value for the consumers. United health Care makes it their obligation to recognize the abilities of both competitors and those whom the organization thinks he or she might come in the near future. The organization should focus on long term prospects. United Health Care should search for ways to add more value to her services by making wise investment decisions for a long term prospect of the health care organization. Running Head: Positioning and Differentiation As time goes on, the health care world keeps transforming its face from one dimension to the next. Therefore; the market is not at a standstill, it needs constant hard work. The organization would invest in a marketing consultant who can manage the affairs’ of United Health Care. This strategy will help the organization not disappear and never be found. In conclusion, BlueCross BlueShield and United Health Care are two competitors under one umbrella. The rain is pouring down seriously, who is going to stay dry and who is going to be kicked out and send into the rain' The response lies in the hand of both organizations. These organizations have to keep working harder and harder, as long as they want to stay in the competition. Health Care is never going to go anywhere, generation will come and go, but health care business will remain for as long as the earth is still functioning. For example, many organizations have come in tried the business, and failed, others have embezzled money, by making fraudulent invoices, still they tighten up ways to get into the arena, but it is still existing. Running Head: Positioning and Differentiation Reference The Six Fundamental, Retrieved from (2011) http://www.bcbs.com/coverage/types/healthcare-coverage-flexible.html How Internet Changed your Life, (2011) Retrieved from, http://www.healthcaresuccess.com/articles/six-ways-market.html