Consumers Delay Healthcare Due To Economic Woes

Industry players view healthcare as an inelastic necessity, but consumers weigh costs heavily when deciding whether to seek care or pursue a course of treatment. Unfilled prescriptions, skipped screenings, and postponed surgeries show that consumers who feel the crunch of the economy do delay care due to cost concerns. The uninsured remain the most likely to delay care, but an increasing number of seniors are also putting off treatment — a sure sign that the healthcare system will face major challenges in the future. Although customer experience professionals have little influence over how consumers make decisions about when to seek care, they should prepare for the changes that will result from shifts in government policy, the proliferation of value-based insurance design (VBID), and increased community care options for consumers.