Despite the growing importance of healthcare consumerism, relatively little is known about consumer attitudes and practices related to choosing healthcare and health insurance. A recent survey commissioned by FAIR Health uncovered the following surprising results: (1) Health insurance basics are learned too late. Seventy-six percent of respondents felt the best life stage for consumers to gain an understanding of health insurance was before or during high school or college. (2) Nearly 60 percent of respondents were willing to travel great distances--50 or more miles--to save at least 50 percent on the cost of their treatment for a serious health condition. (3) Men spend more time researching health options than women--by a two to one margin. (4) People spend more time researching lifestyle choices like vacation planning than exploring medical and dental coverage options. (5) Healthcare nonprofits are a trusted source of healthcare cost information, just behind medical groups and hospitals. The survey that produced these results was conducted for a specific purpose. Building on the success of our award-winning consumer transparency website, FAIR Health, with the support of the New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth), is creating the New York Healthcare Online Shopping Tool (NY HOST) to provide New York residents with price and provider quality information on a pilot basis in 2017. To help shape the content offered by NY HOST, FAIR Health commissioned the respected survey research organization ORC International to conduct a survey throughout the continental United States asking a representative sample of adults, ages 18 and older, about how they make decisions related to healthcare treatment, costs and insurance.
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