14 connected strategy in the health insurance industry will require changes in their systems that may lead to short-term troughs they are not willing to take on. Third, moving into connected strategies is itself a gradual process that cannot happen in one step. That is because one key element of insurers having more continuous inter- actions with consumers is gaining their trust: making consumers believe that insurers are a trusted provider with whom they can share data and access value. This may be difficult to achieve for traditional insurers who have a certain brand image which has not changed much over time. This is particularly relevant in the field of healthcare, where consumer trust is essential given the sensitivity of the data and interactions. Fourth, while the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated some of the digital connections provid- ers and insurers have with their customers and members by increasing dramatically the use of telemedicine and telehealth31, it also focused insurers’ and healthcare providers’ attention to finding solutions related to the pandemic and away from some of the other connected strategies insurers can focus on. While these challenges are not insurmountable and while there are hopeful signs, it is likely that the process will be slower and more difficult than for some of the digital insurers whose business model started with connected models in mind. 4. The success of digitally native insurance start-ups is an open question despite the use of connected strategies. Digitally native start-ups in the insurance industry have been able to create tremendous value for their members in niche markets through the use of connected strategies. As the example of Oscar illustrates above, however, their success is not guaranteed when it comes to profitability. They have not been able to capture most of the value they create in the niche markets while at the same time directing capital towards competing in larger markets. The extent to which they will be able to reach profitability by capturing value in their niche markets or capturing market share in less niche markets is still an open question.  31 https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/telehealth-a-quarter-trillion-dol- lar-post-covid-19-reality