Medtrade preview: Can you speak millennial?

ATLANTA - Among the changes in the Affordable Care Act is a requirement for non-grandfathered health plans to cover breastfeeding support and supplies. At Medtrade in Atlanta, in a session titled “How to Reap the Benefits of Health Care Reform to Reach the Millennial Consumer & Expand Retail Sales,” Juli Goldstein, managed care channel manager for Medela, will help attendees understand how best to serve this new generation of consumers.

HME News:How has health insurance coverage for breast pumps changed that market?

Juli Goldstein:The coverage of breast pumps and supplies under the ACA has opened up a broader community of breastfeeding moms, so that now we see an interest across the socioeconomic spectrum and in diverse populations.

HME:What are the opportunities for HME providers in this new market?

Goldstein:The opportunity is for HME providers to diversify their product and market portfolios.

HME:What are the challenges, and how do HME providers overcome those challenges?

Goldstein:As providers are diversifying their portfolios, revenue streams and the markets they serve, they need to understand how to message and reach into a very different consumer base. It's a whole new generation—the millennials—and it's very technologically savvy.

HME:Once an HME provider provides a customer with a breast pump, how can it keep that customer coming back, either for related supplies or for other HME?

Goldstein:First, by speaking and relating to consumers in a way that's meaningful to them when it comes to their primary experience. And second, by conveying the added value of essential breastfeeding support products available beyond what is covered by insurance.

HME:What's the one thing you hope attendees learn from your session?

Goldstein:It's essential to understand that to move into wellness, HMEs must be able to speak to consumer in ways that are meaningful to them. The majority of the consumers taking advantage of these supplies are millennials, so providers need a keen understanding of that market.

Session info

Speaker: Juli Goldstein, managed care channel manager, Medela

Session: “How to Reap the Benefits of Health Care Reform to Reach the Millennial Consumer & Expand Retail Sales”

When: Wed, Oct. 28, 2015, 8:00 am to 9:00 am