Older adults prefer choosing physicians to saving money

AORN Journal, Sept, 2005

Older Americans are much Less willing than working-age Americans to limit their choice of physicians and hospitals to save on out-of-pocket medical costs, according to a June 15, 2005, news release from the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). A new study by the HSC found that in 2003, only 45% of Americans aged 65 and older were willing to trade broad provider choice to save money compared with 70% of those aged 18 to 34. The study is based on the HSC's Community Tracking Study Household Survey, which asked participants whether they were strongly unwilling, somewhat unwitting, somewhat willing, or strongly willing to accept a limited choice of physicians and hospitals to save money on out-of-pocket health care costs.

Seniors with Medicare coverage who already are enrolled in health maintenance organizations are the most inclined to favor out-of-pocket savings over broad provider choice; approximately 65% said they were either somewhat or strongly willing to limit provider choice. The Medicare beneficiaries least willing to sacrifice provider choice to save on costs were those with supplemental coverage; among seniors with either retiree or Medigap supplemental coverage, nearly 67% were unwilling to limit provider choice, and approximately 40% were strongly unwilling to do so.

Older Americans Less Willing to Sacrifice Physician-Hospital Choice to Save Costs (news release, Washington, DC: Center for Studying Health System Change, June 15, 2005).