Formationand Development of Client Service in the Market for Voluntary Health Insurance

The health care system reformation has brought organizational and structural changes in the industry as a whole, stimulating the development of health insurance. The current national health insurance system consists of two parts, compulsory health insurance (CHI) and voluntary health insurance (VHI). The high competition among health insurance companies in relation to the general economic crisis and the slower development of the VHI market enables health insurance companies to review their marketing strategies and search for new approaches and opportunities to increase competitiveness. The article is concerned with the distinctive features of the compulsory and voluntary health insurance, the structure and dynamics of the Russian VHI market at the current stage and the factors that have an influence on the consumer choice of the insurance company. The major principles of marketing in insurance companies were defined by the example of the SOGAZ Insurance Group, the notion of the customer service was introduced as well as approaches to its implementation. The conducted research brings to a conclusion that nowadays the organization and development of the customer service is one of the priorities in the marketing strategy of insurance companies in the VHI market. Key words: health insurance market, compulsory health insurance, voluntary health insurance, consumer choice, health insurance customer service, marketing strategy in insurance companies.