In June, we shared a high-level view of Total Experience for US Health Insurers. Since then, we’ve dug deeper into the data to uncover what separates leaders from laggards across brand experience, customer experience, and trust. The result is three new reports that explore the key forces shaping each area and reveal where insurers have the greatest opportunities to improve. Each offers a distinct lens on the market, so let’s take a closer look together.
Please note: These reports are intended for a wide audience, because brand perception and customer experience don’t limit themselves by company silos and org charts. Whether you’re responsible for marketing, digital experience, customer experience, contact center, operations, or security and risk, these reports provide actionable insights to strengthen perceptions, improve customer experiences, and attract new customers. These reports should be used to increase collaboration by demonstrating that managing and improving brand perception, CX, and trust is a team sport.
Brand trust is stagnating for customers
Only 56% of customers trust their health insurer, making trust the weakest link in many brand relationships. Customer trust has barely budged in the last year, while noncustomer trust has improved significantly, from 25% to 35%. While marketing is working to nudge more noncustomers into the land of trust, it’s setting these new customers up for disappointment. Cross functional teams need to align around how to improve brand perception, both for employers and for the customers spending more than ever on their products. Forrester’s US Health Insurers Brand Experience Index Rankings, 2026 is the double-click into how customers and noncustomers rate health insurers’ brand experience, and it gives critical clues for how to win, serve, and retain customers in this challenging market.
Customers deserve some R-E-S-P-E-C-T
While 65% of customers who feel respected by their health insurer say they would consider signing up for additional health benefits and programs, only 15% of those who feel frustrated by their health insurer would say the same. Emotion is the most important of the 3 E’s of CX quality (the others being effectiveness and ease), and this comparison reinforces the impact of emotion on customers’ willingness to engage in discretionary effort and spending. Forrester’s US Health Insurers Customer Experience Index Rankings, 2026 is the double (and triple)-click into health insurers’ customer experience. It includes segment-level analysis for captive customers (people who cannot choose their insurer), devotees (ultra loyal super-customers), Federal Employee Program (FEP) customers, Medicaid customers (new for 2026!), and Medicare-related customers (those with Medicare Advantage or MedSupp/Plan 65).
Trust turns up the volume – for better AND worse
High trust customers are nearly 7x more likely than low trust customers to say their health insurance is ‘worth it’. The 2027 plan year is shaping up to be the fourth straight year in which health insurance costs increased by (or close to) double digits – impacting both employers and consumers. This jump comes as a growing number of consumers arealready weighing going without insurance due to lack of affordability, and alternative options continue to emerge. The State Of Trust For US Health Insurers, 2026 recuts our benchmark data by high and low trust, showing the importance of nurturing and gaining trust to convey value, and the levers that US health insurers need to invest in to strengthen brand trust.
Where to go from here
Forrester clients have many options for accessing and engaging with this data to support their plans for the remainder of 2026 and beyond:
- Read the reports! The odds are pretty good that at least one data point in one or more report needs to be featured in your next deck to your leadership team. Use it to make the case for more resources to resolve an issue you’re already tracking or a new opportunity that you didn’t realize you should be pursuing.
- Connect with us for a guidance session, inquiry, or data guidance session.Request a guidance session or inquiry if you’re ready to talk to an analyst now or want a data cut right away. We’re here to partner with you, discuss key drivers, benchmark performance, and share examples of how others have tackled similar issues.
- Schedule a strategy session or initiative workshop. Go deeper with an in-person or virtual, analyst-led, cross-functional strategy session or workshop. Contact your account team if you’re ready to plan for a robust, interactive session that brings teams together to build actionable next steps to help you hit the ground running.
- Explore even more with Forrester AI. Dive even deeper into the research with our AI-powered research assistant. Ask questions such as “How can health insurers improve their Total Experience Score?” and “How can I improve my use of plain language as a health insurer?” Our powerful AI engine weaves the research together to give you a strong starting point for a follow-up in any of the interactive sessions noted above.
Related Forrester Content
- Forrester’s US Health Insurers Brand Experience Index Rankings, 2026
- Forrester’s US Health Insurers Customer Experience Index Rankings, 2026
- The State Of Trust For US Health Insurers, 2026
- Why CX For Healthcare: Proof That Investing In Experience Improves Revenue, Cost, And Resilience
- The Seven Trends For US Health Insurers In 2026
