Resource Type: Article

More people shopping for health insurance are now using AI for guidance. Many ask generative tools questions such as, “How do I enroll in an ACA plan?” or “What’s the best Medicare plan in my area?” The answers they get, whether right or wrong, depend on the information used to train these AI models.

If AI uses your brand’s content, you have more influence on what buyers do next. If it doesn’t, consumers may rely on competitors or old information. This matters most when people are researching and deciding which options they prefer.

Recent research found that even older adults are using AI. In a study across several countries, people aged 55 and older were most likely to use AI tools when learning about health insurance (Cognizant). This challenges old assumptions about digital habits and shows why healthcare payers need to make their content easy for AI to find.

Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO, helps your content appear and be trusted in AI-powered searches. For health insurance marketers, GEO is more than a technical detail. It’s a strategic imperative.

This blog explores how generative AI is changing the way people shop for health insurance, from ACA marketplace enrollees to Medicare Advantage members. You’ll also learn how marketers can use GEO to help their content get noticed and trusted in AI-driven conversations.

Inside the New AI-Driven Shopping Journey

People of all ages are now using generative AI tools to research and choose health insurance. This change is especially noticeable in two groups:

ACA Shoppers

First-time ACA shoppers often feel overwhelmed by the complexity of choosing and enrolling in a plan. Many begin with digital research, searching Google, browsing Reddit, and scanning social media for basic information on subsidies and how the ACA works. With new federal changes from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and anticipated rate increases, more consumers will seek reliable ACA information wherever they can find it. As of the writing of this piece, Google AI (Gemini), Meta AI, and Claude are identified as the most frequently used platforms for ACA-related searches. Among the top ten most-mentioned web pages for ACA-related AI inquiries, only three are from payer websites.

After learning the basics, consumers start comparing specific plans. This step can be challenging. Most marketplace or payer websites require a zip code before showing local plan options. As a result, most generative AI platforms cannot access live health insurance plan databases or search by zip code unless connected to a backend system. This makes it harder for consumers to use AI tools to compare plans and can cause payers to lose visibility when shoppers look elsewhere for plan comparison.*

Medicare Shoppers

As mentioned earlier, research shows that consumers aged 55 and older—including those eligible for Medicare—are increasingly turning to AI tools when researching health insurance. Why? Because they understand how complex plan choices can be, and they value AI’s ability to simplify and personalize the experience.

In our recent CX study (conducted before the rise of GEO), the top reason Medicare Advantage enrollees sought help during enrollment was to ensure they were selecting the right plan for their needs.

Conversational AI can provide users with a personalized Q&A experience, but only if it uses reliable and well-organized information. As with ACA plans, it is challenging to utilize AI models like ChatGPT or Gemini to compare options because plan-level data typically requires a specific zip code. However, some lead aggregators have found a way around this by creating standalone landing pages filled with local plan information that frequently appear in Gen AI recommendations. This is not surprising, since our cursory audit found these pages are easy to read, display STAR ratings, and allow AI tools to access plan information quickly.

What Is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

GEO is about making your content easy for AI models like Meta AI, Gemini, or Claude to find, trust, and use in their answers. While SEO is about ranking high in search results, GEO focuses on being included in AI-generated responses that are contextually relevant.

SEO vs. GEO: A Quick Comparison

SEO	GEO
Ranks on search results	Appears in AI answers
Optimized for clicks	Optimized for citations
Keywords, backlinks	Accuracy, structure, credibility

In health insurance, GEO means making content that clearly and confidently answers real consumer questions. For example, rather than just using the keyword “ACA subsidy qualifications,” your content should explain the rules, mention trusted sources like Healthcare.gov, and be organized so AI can easily use it.

GEO Best Practices for Payer Marketing Teams

Here’s how to make your content AI-ready:

1. Publish Authoritative, Well-Cited Content
   
   • Cite reputable websites and studies from reputable sources such as CMS and Healthcare.gov.
   • Identify topics with few authoritative sources and create well-structured content to fill those gaps.
   • Attribute published content to a named author and link to an author bio page (Google Search Central).
   • Include statistics and expert quotes.
   • Distribute press releases through wire services since they are ingested into LLM training and retrieval pipelines (Mynewsdesk).
   • Blogs are still important for GEO. Even if organic traffic drops, blogs can help demonstrate your expertise, especially when they are part of a broader strategy that includes media coverage, guest posts, and mentions on other sites.

“GEO isn’t just about search. It’s a window into the effectiveness of your entire marketing ecosystem,” Niall Moran, Director of Technology PR, said during the Marketbridge GEO webinar.

2. Use Q&A and Conversational Formats
   • Structure content around real questions.
   • Example: “What does Medicare Part C cover?” followed by a clear answer.
   • AI works best with FAQ-style formats because question-answer pairs are the exact format AI systems are designed to retrieve (Lisa Lee, Salesforce).
     
3. Optimize for Snippets and Quick Answers
   • Use bullet points, tables, and summaries.
   • Example: A 5-step ACA enrollment guide or a Medicare comparison table.
     
4. Keep Information Up-to-Date and Monitor AI for Accuracy
   • Update content as needed with each policy change and enrollment season.
   • Monitor AI outputs for accuracy about your brand.
   • AI can sometimes generate inaccurate or misleading information, which can hurt your reputation. Being aware of this is the first step to managing the risk.
     
5. Expand Your Digital Footprint
   • Build “citation loops”—ensure your content is referenced across multiple high-authority platforms.
   • Publish thought leadership on your site.
   • Contribute to Reddit or Quora threads.
   • Appear in podcasts and share video content.
     
6. Make Your Website AI-Crawlable
   • Use schema markup and clean HTML.
   • Provide context on each page (e.g., “This guide is provided by a licensed expert…”).
     
7. Leverage AI Tools Internally
   • Use AI for keyword research, content drafting, measuring visibility, and testing how AI presents your info.
   • Deploy AI chatbots on your site for personalized guidance.

Embracing GEO in the Consumer Shopping Journey

Generative AI is reshaping the way people shop for health insurance. Whether it’s a 28-year-old exploring ACA options or a 68-year-old comparing Medicare plans, Gen AI is often the first stop. GEO ensures your brand is part of that conversation.

Publishing clear, reliable content and structuring it so AI can easily understand and cite it helps position your brand as a go-to source. Payers that do this well will stand out by offering accurate information and guiding consumers toward informed decisions.

By delivering helpful content at key moments of the buyer journey, you ensure consumers receive the guidance they need when selecting a health plan.

Remember, generative AI is changing fast. Like SEO, GEO best practices will keep evolving. Still, consumers always look for reliable, high-quality information when choosing health insurance. GEO can help you deliver on that. Because AI reflects the values of its creators, your commitment to clarity, accuracy, and consumer empowerment can extend your brand’s reach and impact.

Need help to get started? Reach out.

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* 9/10/25 data from LLM Refs, ACA searches conducted YTD 2025

Introduction: The end of a demographic tailwind

For the past two decades, Medicare Advantage (MA) growth was fueled by a steady flow of age-ins thanks to the Baby Boomer generation. From 1946 to 1964, Americans reversed a steady decline in birthrates and had a lot more children—and these children of the post-war years have been turning 65 since 2011. However, the peak of the baby boom turning 65 is already in the rear-view mirror. To make things even rosier for MA payers, this demographic boom coincided with favorable policy and benefit enhancements which drove a growth in preference for MA over traditional Medicare. However, demographics are destiny, and the political winds have changed—maybe for good.

As we discussed in our July 8 webinar and explored in our recent whitepaper, the MA market is approaching a critical turning point. The combination of the current Boomer demographic plateau and imminent drop, tightening policies, and rising cost pressures means that future growth will depend less on who’s aging in, and more on how well plans compete for remaining preference. In other words, competition will be fierce.

The Baby Boom effect: A growth engine slowing down

The Baby Boomer generation — those born between 1946 and 1964 — has been the primary driver of Medicare enrollment growth. But we’ve now reached the peak of that wave.

• In 2024, the U.S. hit a high of 4.3 million net new Medicare eligibles.
• By 2040, that number is projected to decline to 3.1 million — a 28% drop.

This shift marks the end the “demographic party.” The steep climb in new enrollees is flattening, and soon, it will begin to decline.

From organic growth to net preference

Historically, MA growth came from two sources:

1. Net Organic Growth: New 65+ eligibles entering the system
2. Net Preference Growth: Beneficiaries switching from traditional Medicare to MA

As the pool of new eligibles shrinks, net preference becomes the dominant — and eventually the only — growth lever.

In 2024, over 55% of MA enrollment growth came from net preference. That number will only increase as organic growth slows. This means plans must now compete more aggressively for members already in the system, and do so in a more constrained, cost-sensitive environment.

What’s driving preference?

Historically, preference for MA has been driven by:

• Enhanced benefits (e.g., dental, vision, transportation)
• Lower out-of-pocket costs
• Simplified care coordination

But as the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” tightens funding and limits supplemental benefits, these differentiators may weaken. Plans will need to find new ways to stand out, and that means focusing on trust, experience, and long-term value.

Strategic implications: Competing in a shrinking pool with smart growth

To succeed in this new era, MA plans must rethink their growth strategies, moving from “growth at all costs” to smart growth.

1. Focus on member lifetime value

Plans must focus on member lifetime value (LTV). Critically, lifetime value must factor in to both acquisition and retention strategies. In the past, most new members acquired during the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) have been chronic switchers—members who never stick around long enough to get into the groove of quality preventative care. This outcome is bad for everyone—payers, providers, and patients. It’s up to carriers to not encourage switching behavior among likely future defectors; if their current plan is degraded, they will find another—without a nudge by acquisition marketing.

Fortunately, the math allows carriers to make these decisions effectively and at scale. As media becomes more targetable, it’s increasingly possible to isolate audiences by projected LTV and align acquisition spend accordingly. The goal: invest only up to the point (or below) where the marginal acquisition cost equals the net present value of future cash flows. This approach helps reduce overspending on high churn “switchers,” who tend to have lower LTV from the outset.

By segmenting audiences based on profitability, which often correlates with loyalty, plans can:

• Align channels to acquire higher-value members
• Reduce media waste and froth, lowering overall costs for everyone
• Build separate CAC/LTV curves for key segments (e.g., switchers vs. loyalists)
• Prioritize quality acquisition over volume

2. Invest in brand equity

In a market where demographic growth is slowing and preference is the new battleground; brand equity becomes a critical—and often underleveraged—asset.

As discussed in our July 8 webinar, brand equity is a latent construct—not always visible in short-term metrics, but deeply influential in long-term performance. It shapes how members perceive your organization, how likely they are to choose your plan, and how long they stay.

Yet many plans underinvest in upper funnel, brand-building activities, because their impact is harder to measure than lower funnel demand generation tactics. This is what Marketbridge calls the measurement trap: The tendency to overvalue easily tracked lower-funnel tactics and undervalue upper-funnel brand-building efforts.

Fortunately, for most health carriers, brand equity—and trust—are local. In other words, most plans have very strong equity in a few states and metro areas, many mid-level, high-potential markets, and many more markets where breaking through is prohibitively expensive. By using this to their advantage, carriers can invest in brand building strategically, targeting markets using provider and local marketing tactics to turn “mid-level” markets into long-run winners.

To break this cycle, plans should:

• Track brand equity consistently across DMAs using awareness, affinity, and base lift metrics;
• Identify “elastic” markets where brand investment can shift preference;
• And, maintain consistent presence in strategic markets to allow equity to accrue over time.

3. Embrace digital go-to-market and experience innovation

Every year, new age-in MA members get more technologically savvy. Today’s age-ins were 40 on 9/11; remember what technology use looked like 25 years ago. It’s clear that successful plans must fully embrace digital go-to-market strategies and member experience platforms. Moving forward, each new cohort of age-ins will be even more digitally native, making e-commerce not just an acceptable alternative to call center or in-person enrollment, but a preferred one.

Digital video is a standout opportunity. Channels like YouTube, social reels, and connected TV offer hyper-targeted reach with faster deployment, a major advantage during AEP. These upper- and mid-funnel formats are already displacing traditional DRTV and are expected to dominate by 2030.

On the fulfillment side, digital and digitally assisted applications are improving speed, accuracy, and satisfaction, while reducing buyer’s remorse and OEP switching. This directly supports higher member lifetime value.

Finally, journey-based marketing and unified CX platforms — though still emerging — offer the potential to streamline communications across ANOCs, billing, clinical reminders, and more. Carriers that standardize and scale these systems will gain a long-term edge in retention and cost efficiency.

Conclusion: A new era of strategic growth

The rules of the Medicare Advantage game are changing. The days of easy growth are behind us. It’s time to focus on strategic growth: a more competitive, more disciplined, and more analytical decision-making paradigm for go-to-market leaders.

Plans that understand the demographic shift, embrace net preference as a core strategy, and invest in long-term value creation will be best positioned to lead in this new era.