As consumers assume a larger share of healthcare costs and responsibility, a survey by Accolade reveals where they are having difficulty. The survey reveals the following:
- 32% of insured Americans are uncomfortable with their personal knowledge and skills navigating their medical benefits and the healthcare system. This is higher than the percentage of those uncomfortable buying a home (25%) and is twice as high as those indicating they were uncomfortable purchasing a car (15%) or technology/electronics (16%).
- Consumers say that dealing with certain healthcare-related activities is a hassle. The top concerns include coordinating all aspects of benefits and healthcare (cited by 55%), selecting and understanding benefits (50%), coordinating care across different doctors, specialists and facilities (41%); and using employer-sponsored benefits programs (30%).
- Consumers cited finances (31%), emotions (26%) and competing responsibilities (19%) as the top life circumstances that have contributed to poor healthcare decision-making.
- 80% of respondents would find it valuable to have a single trusted person/resource to help with all of their healthcare needs, such as selecting and using benefits, understanding treatment options, finding providers and coordinating care.
- When asked what would most contribute to improving their experience as a healthcare consumer, Americans rank having a single person they trust to help with all of their healthcare needs highest at 47%. Ranking lower were having more programs to help them manage their health, such as wellness tools and condition management programs (24%); having more resources from their employer to answer benefit questions (20%); and having more digital/mobile apps to help them make healthcare decisions on their own (13%).
- While 86% of respondents say that their employer or insurer offers health-related programs, such as wellness apps, condition management programs, provider cost transparency tools and second opinion services, 43% haven’t used them in the past 12 months. They don’t use these programs more often because the programs are not relevant to them (29%), they don’t remember what’s available (15%), they find them confusing (14%), or they don’t like repeating the same information to different programs (13%).