Why Millennials Are Choosing Health Insurance With Telemedicine Benefits?

Millennials are, undoubtedly, amazing at handling multiple things simultaneously, be it their career, job, relationships, and, of course, the struggles. With too much to take care of comes the burden of excelling in everything, creating mental pressure on them, which causes various health issues. In such a hodge podge and busy schedule, people often ignore their well-being, which leads to passing out in the middle of the street or experiencing heart attacks while working or even exercising. 

In such unpredictable chaos, health insurance becomes a powerful tool, encouraging individuals to attend to their healthcare needs and expenses. This has led to a sudden surge in individuals opting for contemporary health insurance plans, like telemedicine.

Telemedicine refers to the use of technology in facilitating two-way communication between patients and healthcare providers, who offer both remote and personalized medical care to individuals. This communication is established through various means, including emails, mobile apps, phone calls and video conferencing. In short, healthcare providers use telemedicine to diagnose, treat and monitor patients remotely without patients having to visit them personally. With time, this has become a key practice in the healthcare industry, and the patients and healthcare providers have reaped many benefits. 
In this article, we will encounter eight reasons why millennials are opting for health insurance along with telemedicine benefits –

Here are the top eight reasons why millennials prefer telemedicine over traditional health insurance coverage:

#1 - Technology-Savvy

Millennials have witnessed society shifting from traditional facilities and services to tech-driven ones. Amidst their busy schedule, anything offering remote services and personalized attention is a blessing. Though traditional health insurance helps them insure their lives and protect them from sudden healthcare expenses, telemedicine makes the process easier, more accessible and more convenient. Patients living in remote areas or rural regions do not have to travel miles to meet healthcare providers, especially when they are suffering from chronic issues and have mobility problems. For millennials, technology has never been such a magic wand before.

#2 - Cost-Effectiveness

Telemedicine for millennials minimizes healthcare costs, but it actually works both ways and is cost-effective for healthcare providers as well. The former do not have to travel, which saves them the transportation costs, but at the same time, the latter do not have to bear the expense of setting up a physical office and can interact with their patients online. Telemedicine is also referred to as telehealth, and it has reduced the number of unnecessary emergency room visits.

#3 - Easy Accessibility

Telemedicine in healthcare assists in primary care, dermatology, mental health services, post-surgery follow-up and remote monitoring. Taking care of patients without compromising comfort with just a few clicks and a screen is a true gift to the present healthcare system and the patients. Of the many benefits of telemedicine in health insurance, virtual visits and the ability to connect providers and patients are a prominent reason millennials choose health insurance with telemedicine benefits.

#4 - Preventive Care

Another significant reason millennials choose health insurance with telemedicine benefits is its focus on preventive care. When an individual subscribes to telemedicine services, they get their routine checkups, screenings, and patient counseling sessions along with the opportunity to interact freely with their healthcare providers. These checkups and clinical trials help them detect any health issues and signs of harmful diseases in their early stages. Thus, pre-preventive care begins way before, which is impossible if traditional healthcare services are chosen. With telemedicine, attending to health issues is made easy, convenient and swift, ultimately making individuals opt for health insurance with telemedicine benefits.

#5 - Mental Health Support

Telemedicine offers continuity of care, enhanced patient engagement, and broad access to various specialists for every patient. Still, if we consider patients or individuals facing mental health issues, this is where the real charm of telemedicine services lies. Unlike face-to-face consultations, telemedicine offers a more open and honest environment for patients to share their issues. They can freely talk about their depression, anxiety and stress.

Telemedicine, with its mobility and easy access, offers a great opportunity for patients to connect with their healthcare providers, counselors and therapists anytime and speak freely of their traumas and what causes or triggers their mental health problems.

#6 - COVID-19

No matter what we say, the world has never been the same after the pandemic. When COVID-19 was at its peak, we witnessed the healthcare systems of many countries fail miserably; people died without any assistance or care. This unknowingly has triggered the millennial's minds to understand the importance of life, health and taking the best possible care of themselves. Millennial health insurance trends sparked post-COVID, and they have all the reasons to make the most of telemedicine benefits.

#7 - Transparency and Flexibility

It is one of the reasons and major purposes for which telemedicine has been introduced in the healthcare industry. With stark flexibility in operations, activities and the whole framework within which patients and healthcare providers work, telemedicine also induces transparency in actions. It elevates the level of medical and healthcare service experience for patients.

Many challenges have hindered telemedicine and health insurance, including privacy and security concerns, limited scope, technological barriers, and reimbursement and insurance issues. However, with time and technological advancements, experts have constantly worked to eliminate them.

#8 - Sustainability and Environmental Impact

According to the 2019 American Hospital Association report, telemedicine services can reduce hospital admissions during emergencies by 25%, easing pressure on healthcare facilities. This statistic tells us how healthcare can become sustainable with optimal use of telemedicine services and proper resource utilization. Needless to say, this directly has a positive environmental impact.

More people getting cared for and cured at home would mean fewer hospital admissions, limited in-person visits, less traffic, fewer hospital crowds, less pollution and so on. This might seem to be an indirect benefit, but it still is a benefit.

Now that the reasons why millennials prefer telemedicine services included in their healthcare insurance are clear, you know better what to choose or shift to for convenient and personalized healthcare attention. The healthcare industry is constantly working towards more and more innovations, increasing the scope of telemedicine services, but it all starts with you and your efforts toward your health.

With all that being said, we can guarantee that this is still the beginning of the applications of telemedicine services. Both the healthcare and insurance industries are already booming. It is all set to break old and new barriers, striving to provide the best healthcare assistance to patients worldwide, thereby reaping medical and monetary benefits to them.