Massachuestts to require medical insurance

This requirement is supposed to address the problem of there being a population of uninsured by assuming that “affordable” policies will forthcoming. Without debating the merits of the new law, what perspective can we as marketers add?

Consider a content analysis of direct mail, telesales attempts (including those which flaunt the do not call registry) and email (that which bypasses your spam filters and is noticed before being deleted), let’s say over the past year.

This should vary depending on life status and demographics. The relative frequencies of promotions for insurance and insurance like services which came to our collective inboxes are listed below.

• Retirement vehicles such as IRAs
• Auto
• Life
• College Savings (essentially a kind of insurance)
• Extended product warranty
• Disability
• Mortgage
• Trip and Travel
• Long Term Care
• Pet Care
• Funeral

Notably absent were any promotions for health insurance. What’s wrong with this picture? Are the insured not interested in coverage at prevailing market rates, or are providers not interested in marketing policies to individuals?

The law does is not in effect until July 2007. By then your inbox should have some new occupants.