Dive Brief:
- A recent survey by Los Angeles-based Wedbush Securities indicates that Anthem's brand was negatively impacted as a result of the cyberattack earlier this year that impacted nearly 79 million customers.
- However, that impact was substantially softened by consumers' positive perceptions of how Anthem responded to the data breach, and many continue to view the company as more favorable than other health insurance companies.
- The survey received the most favorable feedback on Anthem from younger and older consumers vs. those in the middle, and found that on health exchanges, the data breach actually helped Anthem's image rather than hurting it.
Dive Insight:
This survey illustrates the importance of how healthcare organizations respond to a data breach. While some consumers will show less support, others may see the situation in a positive light.
While Anthem's brand preference dropped from 51% before the breach to 45% after, that change involved an 8% drop among supporters but a 2% gain among others who had not previously preferred Anthem, as a result of the company's handling of the breach.
Similarly, the survey found that the number of consumers willing to pay more for an Anthem plan dropped overall from 24% before the breach to 21% after. However, that difference comes from a nearly 11% drop among customers who were initially willing to pay more, mitigated by a 7% increase among others who had not previously been willing to pay a premium.