Press Release

New Health Plan Monitor Research Evaluates Cost Estimator Tools Across 21 Organizations, Identifying Best Practices and Critical Gaps in the Member Experience

Issued by Corporate Insight

May 27, 2026

New York, NY — Corporate Insight (CI), the leading provider of competitive intelligence and customer experience research to the financial services, insurance and healthcare industries, today announced findings from a Health Plan Monitor report examining cost estimator tools across 21 organizations. Based on firsthand evaluation of live member sites, the research reveals that while most health plans offer some form of cost estimation, meaningful gaps in context, educational support and estimate management continue to undermine the member experience.

“Cost estimator tools are essential for helping members make informed decisions about healthcare treatments without the anxiety of unexpected expenses,” says Lauren Roncevic, Senior Director of Healthcare at CI. “As price transparency becomes an increasingly urgent industry priority, insurers face growing pressure to deliver easily findable, accurate cost information at the point of need. Many tools still fall short of that standard.”

The report examines both proprietary in-house tools and third-party-powered platforms across the full 21-organization coverage set, with a deeper look at offerings from 12 organizations, including health insurers Anthem BCBS, BCBS of Massachusetts, Cigna, EmblemHealth, Florida Blue, Harvard Pilgrim, Kaiser Permanente, Oscar, Surest and UnitedHealthcare, as well as platforms from Kyruus Health and Sapphire Digital that power several top insurers’ cost estimators.

Key findings reveal where tools succeed and where significant opportunity remains:

Cost-forward result page design drives more confident decision-making: Tools that display procedure-specific cost estimates directly on result pages, rather than requiring members to navigate into individual provider profiles, allow for genuine side-by-side comparison at a glance. Anthem BCBS exemplifies this approach, displaying estimates on every provider tile within its integrated Find Care tool alongside an in-network deductible and out-of-pocket maximum carousel, giving members immediate financial context without additional clicks.

Plan spending context transforms estimates into financial planning tools: Standalone cost figures tell members what they may owe, but do not explain how a procedure interacts with their deductible progress or out-of-pocket maximum. UnitedHealthcare’s Plan Spending feature, which allows members to toggle between Current and With Procedure views on the result page, and BCBS of Massachusetts’ color-coded Cost Breakdown visualization represent strong examples of this higher-value approach.

AI is beginning to reshape cost estimation, but implementation varies widely: Aetna, Anthem BCBS and Oscar each deploy conversational AI to surface cost guidance, though their approaches differ significantly. Oscar stands out with the most developed AI cost estimator in the coverage set, offering two distinct conversational pathways, including a supplementary AI-powered Super Agent in the message center. Aetna delivers multi-paragraph cost guidance directly from the homepage search field.

Estimate management remains a critical gap: Very few firms allow members to save, revisit or download completed cost estimates. Harvard Pilgrim and Kaiser Permanente are notable exceptions; Kaiser Permanente automatically saves all estimates without requiring any member action. Given the complexity of multi-step estimator inputs, the inability to retrieve prior estimates represents one of the most consequential usability gaps in the coverage set.

“The best cost estimator experiences go beyond a number,” adds Roncevic. “They embed savings guidance, flag prior authorization requirements, offer estimate management features and position educational content at the moment members need it most. Insurers that invest in this level of depth are better positioned to support members across every stage of the care journey.”

The report identifies near-term priorities for health insurers, including expanding estimate management capabilities, integrating educational content and prior authorization flags into cost search results, and ensuring tools surface AI-powered guidance within a clear compliance framework.

Access the Report

Organizations can contact CI to learn how to access the full Cost Estimators report.

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