November 18, 2007 
I always smile when people ask about using SMS (or text) messaging to communicate with patients. Interesting. Perhaps even “cool”, but not real practical. You have limited message length. You have to have cell phones for people, and with all the privacy issues, can you control it. There are a lot more opportunities to communicate better with patients than use SMS.
So, I was intrigued to find out about Tonik Health Insurance which is an offering by Wellpoint for the Generation X or Generation Y population. If you go to the site, you will see things like:
- Edgy graphics
- Slang / informal language (e.g., “Tonik offers three straight-up affordable health insurance plans to cover your A-Z“
- At one point, the site mentions Borat (not typical in a healthcare website)
I don’t know much about it, but it seems very interesting. I am a little surprised to see it offered by such a mainstream company.
I even came across a publication called “NOT ur parents’ healthcare anymore: The 411 on selling health via new media” which is a 35-story report on targeting this young population. I have not read the report, but it sounds interesting. (Order Here)
yeah, friends of mine have Tonik and like it because it cust the costs down by not offering maternity. So if you’re not planning on reproducing while on this policy- you’re not paying for it. It’s also a safety net in case something huge does happen and you are faced with hospitalization or surgery. One friend is paying around $80 and the other is paying around $120 a month. As long as they don’t try to be posers i guess the slang helps them talk to their audience. -Dawn