Many patients would switch doc to cut health care costs

Many patients would switch doc to cut health care costs
Many Americans feel that keeping out-of-pocket health care costs is more important than staying with the same primary care physician.

(HealthDay)—Many Americans feel that keeping out-of-pocket health care costs is more important than staying with the same primary care physician.

Researchers from HealthPocket, a website that ranks and compares health plans, surveyed 713 consumers regarding whether they would be willing to change physicians if it meant they would save on premiums, and how much they would need to save in order to actually change physician.

The researchers found that 34 percent of respondents thought that keeping their down was more important than remaining with the same physician. Furthermore, 18.6 percent said they would be willing to change physician to save $500 to $1,000 annually, compared with 8.1 and 7.5 percent, respectively, who would switch to save a minimum of $1,000 to $2,000 or $3,000 or more. More than 40 percent reported that they would not switch physician.

"We live in the real world, where patients might say: 'I like my physician, but this other plan is more affordable, and I might change physicians,'" Glen Stream, M.D., board chair of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said in a statement.

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Citation: Many patients would switch doc to cut health care costs (2013, May 17) retrieved 19 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-patients-doc-health.html
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