Nearly One Third of Americans Now Comparison Shop for Health Care, but Few People Have a Full Understanding of Basic Insuranc...
September 21 2016 - 10:00AM
Business Wire
- New UnitedHealthcare Consumer
Sentiment Survey provides insights into Americans’ health care
knowledge, opinions and preferences during open enrollment
- More people (32 percent) are using
websites and mobile apps to comparison shop for health care, up
from 14 percent in 2012
- Only 7 percent of Americans have a
full understanding of all four basic insurance concepts: plan
premium, deductible, co-insurance and out-of-pocket
maximum
- Workplace wellness programs popular
among employees, with significant interest in using wearable
devices to encourage activity
More Americans are using technology to improve access to health
care and make more informed decisions, even as most have a limited
understanding of basic health insurance terms or the cost of
specific medical services, according to a new study from
UnitedHealthcare.
This Smart News Release features multimedia.
View the full release here:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160921005203/en/
The UnitedHealthcare Consumer Sentiment
Survey uncovered Americans' opinions, attitudes and knowledge about
various health care topics, including comparison shopping,
wellness, health literacy and customer service (Graphic:
UnitedHealthcare).
These are some of the findings from the UnitedHealthcare
Consumer Sentiment Survey, which examines Americans’ attitudes and
opinions about four areas of health care: comparison shopping,
wellness programs, health literacy and customer service.
The survey’s key findings include:
- People prefer other activities to
enrolling in a health benefits plan during open enrollment. For
example, a quarter (25 percent) of respondents said they would
rather file their annual income taxes than select a health
plan.
- More Americans are now comparison
shopping for health care. Nearly a third of respondents have
used the internet or mobile apps during the last year to compare
the cost of medical services. That is more than double from 14
percent in 2012 (based on a previous UnitedHealthcare survey).
- Most people don’t fully understand
what they are buying. Only 7 percent of respondents could
successfully define all four basic health insurance concepts: plan
premium, deductible, co-insurance and out-of-pocket maximum.
- When it comes to customer service,
Americans prefer live support. More than three-quarters (78
percent) of respondents preferred speaking with a customer service
representative, with email or online chat the next most popular
options at 7 percent each.
“This survey underscores why UnitedHealthcare is working to
simplify the health care experience for people and help them take
full advantage of their health care benefits,” said Rebecca Madsen,
UnitedHealthcare chief consumer officer.
Comparison Shopping Becomes More PopularThe use of
websites and mobile apps to comparison shop for health care is
increasing, especially among young people. Nearly half (47 percent)
of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 said they have used
online or mobile resources to comparison shop for health care
treatments or services. Among all comparison shoppers, 81 percent
described the process as “very helpful” or “somewhat helpful.”
More broadly, many people do not know what specific medical
services cost. For instance, the average nationwide cost for a knee
replacement is $35,000, according to the health care price
transparency website www.guroo.com. Eleven percent of respondents
selected $35,000 correctly as the average cost for this procedure;
a majority of respondents (63 percent) estimated the cost of knee
replacement to be much lower: $5,000 (14 percent), $15,000 (28
percent) and $25,000 (21 percent).
Health Literacy Remains a ChallengeIn spite of the
survey’s data about U.S. consumers’ increased willingness to use
technology to help improve health care knowledge and access, many
Americans do not understand basic health insurance concepts that
are important to using their health plan benefits.
Only 7 percent of respondents could successfully define all four
basic health insurance concepts: plan premium, deductible,
co-insurance and out-of-pocket maximum. More than 60 percent of
respondents successfully defined plan premium and deductible;
however, respondents had a more difficult time defining
out-of-pocket maximum (36 percent) and co-insurance (32
percent).
Even in the internet age, the survey found nothing beats
speaking with a real person to address a specific question or
issue. Nearly 80 percent of respondents preferred speaking directly
with a customer service representative, with email or online chat
the next most popular at 7 percent each.
The most important quality when calling a customer service
representative was the person’s knowledge (30 percent), followed by
how quickly the call was answered (27 percent), and then feeling
the representative had all the necessary information on hand (22
percent).
Consumers Show Interest in Wearables, TelemedicineMany
survey respondents expressed interest in other health-related
technologies.
More than half of respondents (56 percent) who are employed full
time said they would be interested in using a wearable fitness
tracker as part of a workplace wellness program. That’s good news
considering companies nationwide are expected by 2018 to
incorporate more than 13 million fitness tracking devices into
their wellness programs as a way to help reduce obesity and
sedentary time among employees, according to technology consultancy
Endeavors Partners.
In regard to telemedicine, 37 percent of respondents said they
were “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to use a smartphone, tablet
or computer to access health care services.
For complete survey results, visit the UnitedHealthcare newsroom
at www.uhc.com.
About the SurveyThe UnitedHealthcare Consumer Sentiment
Survey was conducted using ORC International’s Telephone CARAVAN
omnibus among a landline and cell phone probability sample
of 1,011 U.S. adults age 18 and older. Some supplemental
interviewing was conducted among a second sample of 1,009 adults.
The margin of error for each sample was plus or minus 3.1 percent
at the 95 percent confidence level.
About
UnitedHealthcareUnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping
people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health
care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and
sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company
offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for
individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and
their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and
contracts directly with 1 million physicians and care
professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities
nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and
well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at
www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.
Click here to subscribe to Mobile Alerts for UnitedHealth
Group.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160921005203/en/
UnitedHealthcareWill Shanley,
714-204-8005will.shanley@uhc.com
UnitedHealth (NYSE:UNH)
Historical Stock Chart
From Feb 2024 to Mar 2024
UnitedHealth (NYSE:UNH)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2023 to Mar 2024