BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE:   Business Week ebiz
DATA MINE Sept. 2, 1999 Demand Is Healthy for Online Insurance Services Consumers frustrated by red tape in health-care benefits crave a way to manage their health insurance online. A new study shows that more than three-quarters of Internet users covered by health insurance want to manage various parts of their benefits on their carrier's Web site. Problem is, carriers aren't doing a very good job of building and publicizing their sites: Only 8% of consumers online actually use their carrier's Web site, and 68% aren't sure their carrier even has a Web site. There's good reason for insurers to get moving: 37% of consumers say they would switch carriers to manage benefits online -- everything from enrolling to checking coverage. Preferred online benefit services (percentage of respondents): Checking coverage 67% Checking claim status 56% Finding doctor or hospital 47% Looking up info on other plans 47% Filing claims 40% Enrolling 26% DATA: Cyber Dialogue _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					MORE NUGGETS Web Surfing without PCs More and more people will get on the Net using non-PC devices, especially TVs A Home Spending Boost from Broadband As more households get broadband, Net access will grow along with online video, music, and info markets Who Says Brand Doesn't Count in PCs? Giants like Gateway are pushing lesser-known brands into free-fall Why They Shop 'Til They Drop Turns out that men and women have different reasons for buying online Online Ad Spending Soars Worldwide It's projected to hit $33 billion by 2004 The Mother Lode Collected nuggets from Data Mine