How to Handle Common Objections During OEP

For enrollees, health insurance has never been more complicated or expensive. The numerous changes in health insurance over the last decade or so have prompted people to learn more about how health insurance works.

As enrollees’ understanding has increased, they’ve become more knowledgeable about health costs and plan features. While they may be comfortable with their current plans, they may have objections about rising premiums and losing the benefits they value most. 

We begin with an overview of the consumer perspective on health insurance. We’ll then review the common objections you’re likely to get during an OEP presentation and provide a list of questions consumers will likely ask. We’ll finish up with some strategies for handling common objections.

Shortcuts:

The Consumer Perspective on Health Insurance

6 Common Objections to Expect During OEP

Common Questions About OEP

The Key to Overcoming Objections During OEP Is to Offer Clarity and Value

1. Lack of Confidence in Your Expertise
2. A Lack of Urgency
3. High Premiums and Out-of-Pocket Costs
4. Coverage Confusion
5. Physician Networks
6. Plan Comparisons

Final Tips for Agents: Best Practices for Handling Objections

Objections Can Turn Into Opportunities

The Consumer Perspective on Health Insurance

A consumer’s perspective on health insurance involves the cost, their relationships with healthcare providers, problems they encounter, and how well (or not) their insurance works when they need to use it.

A survey by The Kaiser Family Foundation showed that the healthier people are, the more likely they are to be happy with their health insurance. 

About half of the adults said they had problems with their health insurance and never resolved them. Some issues had serious consequences, such as poorer health or unexpected out-of-pocket costs. 

Of those who reported having poor health, about a fourth of people said they didn’t receive mental health services or medications they felt they needed. 

The survey also showed that adults with Medicaid or a Marketplace plan were more likely to rate their health plan negatively than those who had an employer-sponsored plan. 

Insureds also said they would support policies to make health insurance easier to understand. 

We can glean much information about the objections people will likely have at the start of an OEP presentation. 

6 Common Objections to Expect During OEP

OEP is a critical window where customers have an opportunity to evaluate their coverage options. 

During this time, customers have concerns and hesitations that can prevent them from exploring other options. As a salesperson, you can boost their confidence by turning hesitancy into action by being prepared for any objections that come your way. 

Here are 6 common objections you may encounter during OEP:

1. Lack of confidence in your expertise. Unless you have a long-time customer who has great faith in your expertise, you’ll have to earn their trust. 
2. A lack of urgency. People with a favorable view of their current plans may not realize they can get an even better plan, and they have a limited time to explore their options. 
3. High premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Customers will likely be looking for ways to keep costs down.
4. Coverage confusion: Industry terms and legal language make it difficult to decipher what’s actually covered. It can be hard to sort out the limitations and exclusions quickly and meaningfully. Clients want to know what they’re getting for their money.
5. Physician networks: Some customers are comfortable with certain physicians and don’t want to change. Others are concerned about finding an in-network doctor in their area or having few choices for physicians.  
6. Plan comparisons: Customers had access to an average of 43 Medicare Advantage plans.) in 2024. Evaluating plans without the help and guidance of a health insurance professional can be overwhelming for customers.  

Common Questions About OEP

Beyond the objections, customers may ask a lot of questions during an OEP presentation. Good sales preparation will ensure you have ready answers. 

Here’s a list of questions you may receive:

• What is the best way to narrow down my plan options?
• What are the limits, deductibles, copays, and out-of-pocket limits of my top choices?
• How will tobacco use affect my premiums? (Health insurers can charge up to 50% more for tobacco users, depending on the state and carrier)
• Is there a surcharge for adding my spouse? Is it better for me to switch to my spouse’s plan? (Some plans charge more for adding a spouse if they have the option of being covered by an employer-sponsored plan)
• Will my regular medications be covered?
• Are my regular doctors in network? How much more will I pay for out-of-network care? 
• Do I have to buy a plan from the Marketplace, or can I buy a private plan? 
• Will my current coverages remain the same if I don’t switch plans? 
• Will my voluntary benefits be reduced if services are covered under my health plan? 
• How do I enroll in a plan? 

With the exception of the question about medication coverage (check the formularies for each plan), you can answer all of these questions easily by sharing your screen. 

A screen-sharing tool like CrankWheel is helpful for virtual presentations. Customers can sign onview your screen quickly without having to provide personal information or deal with tricky logins. You will see the same screens as the customer in real time. You can even hand control of the slides over to the customer if you wish. 

At the end of the presentation, you can take them to a landing page with your call to action.  

You must overcome all the customer’s objections before you can get to the buying decision phase of the selling cycle, and we’ll cover that next. 

The Key to Overcoming Objections During OEP Is to Offer Clarity and Value

To help you connect the dots between the objections and how to overcome them to get the sale, we’re providing solutions on how to overcome each one of them.  

1. Lack of Confidence in Your Expertise

Most customers want to work with someone who has their best interests at heart. That kind of trust can only be earned. 

Clear communication eliminates confusion and builds trust. At the same time, emphasizing value over cost helps customers envision the long-term benefits of a health plan. 

In either case, your goal should be to break down the information, simplify it, and help customers fully understand what they’re buying. This approach will reduce the number of objections and position you as a knowledgeable advisor they can fully trust with their health insurance needs. 

2. A Lack of Urgency

Procrastination is a big reason people don’t want to review their health insurance. When people don’t want to deal with something, it’s easy to keep putting it off. To overcome this objection, be clear about when the deadlines are in your state and point out the potential financial consequences for overlooking them. 

Some people may believe they’re healthy and would rather redirect their finances to other areas of the budget. You might mention that everyone becomes ill at one time or another, and an injury from an accident could occur at any time. Additionally, an accident or illness could prevent them from working, which would impact their income.

Along the same lines, you might point out that preventative care can help reduce medical bills by preventing an illness or other condition from worsening and costing more in medical costs later on.

Medical bills can add up quickly, and when combined with a lack of income, finances can get out of hand quickly. The right health insurance can help protect them from financial devastation during of a long-term illness or recovery period. 

At a minimum, you could use the OEP deadlines to create a bit of urgency without making customers feel pressured. 

3. High Premiums and Out-of-Pocket Costs

Your customers will likely be aware that healthcare costs have risen faster than inflation. If they haven’t heard about it on the news, they may have experienced it firsthand. In addition to concern about their own medical expenses, many people are responsible for medical expenses for their spouses, partners, or children. 

People living on fixed incomes will be especially concerned about how to pay for their premiums and other medical costs. Big medical expenses can lead to large amounts of medical debt, adding to the stress. 

Your expertise in this area is invaluable. The challenge is to evaluate available health plans meticulously and compare them with the customer’s biggest concerns. By selecting three or four health plans, you can point out the pros and cons of each and, perhaps, depict them on an easily understandable chart. 

To ease their psychological burden, you can highlight available subsidies and tax credits. 

Case studies can also lend clarity to demonstrate how others realized long-term savings by making wise choices in their health plans. 

When customers can put all the facts together, it will help them narrow down the best health plan for the coming year. 

4. Coverage Confusion

Each health plan has a unique structure, yet the features and benefits can confuse customers. The key to overcoming this objection is ensuring customers understand their coverages, limits, benefits, and exclusions. 

By breaking down what is and isn’t covered on individual slides and sharing your screen with them, you can turn confusion and overwhelm into understanding. 

Visuals such as side-by-side comparisons and charts will lend clarity to various plans. Be sure to pause at various points and ask if they have any questions. It’s also important to sympathize with them so they see you as human.

5. Physician Networks

People commonly want to choose a health plan that allows them to continue seeing their preferred physicians. 

The best way to approach this objection is to see if their preferred physicians are listed as in-network on the plans you’re recommending for them. If their doctors are in-network, the problem is solved. 

If their preferred physicians are not in-network, you might suggest their current physician refer them to another physician they trust who is in-network. 

Alternatively, they could tap into out-of-network benefits.  

Still, another option is to highlight the value of telehealth services, especially if the customer has urgent needs or transportation issues. 

6. Plan Comparisons

Between the many features and benefits, varying premiums, deductibles, copays, coinsurance, and out-of-pocket maximums, it doesn’t take long for analysis paralysis to set in. 

Part of the problem may be that a customer is emotionally attached to their current plan for no reason other than they’re familiar with it. Changing plans means getting a new insurance ID card, learning new phone numbers, and sifting through a new plan handbook to learn what is and isn’t covered every time they have a medical need. 

You can address this objection by creating slides focusing on the value customers get from their premiums. Online calculators and comparison charts can help drive the solutions home and eliminate the confusion out of making the best choice. 

Final Tips for Agents: Best Practices for Handling Objections

Here are some additional tips for handling objections so you can put your best foot forward. 

• Personalize your conversations. It demonstrates that you’re actively listening to your client’s concerns.
• Practice empathy. Health insurance is personal for people. Objections often stem from confusion or fear. 
• Be transparent and honest. This approach will set you on a path to earning their trust.
• Incorporate social proofing into your presentation. Share real stories of how you helped other clients overcome similar objections.  
• Continuously refine and improve your objection-handling techniques by asking for feedback from customers and peers. Take that feedback and make appropriate changes. 

Objections Can Turn Into Opportunities

The most challenging part about sales is dealing with rejection. Rather than view objections as a hurdle, try to see them as opportunities to educate your clients and strengthen your relationships. Empathy, understanding, and transparency provide reassurance to clients that you are willing to prioritize their needs. 

Looking beyond OEP, it’s essential to your business to offer long-term support to show your clients that their well-being is just as important to you after the sale.