MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.,
Nov. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- If
there is one thing a majority of Americans can agree on, it's that
healthcare costs are too expensive and they want upfront pricing.
HealthPocket, a free information source designed to help consumers
find medical coverage today released results of a pulse survey
which found that 85% of U.S. adults think that healthcare costs in
general are too high. Underscoring that point, 51% of those
surveyed have avoided medical care due to lack of ability to
pay.
The survey found that prices are a priority, with 91% saying
that costs for medical services should be as readily available as
prices are on a restaurant menu. In fact, 78% have been afraid to
go to the hospital because of cost, with an overwhelming majority
(96%) saying that hospitals should be upfront about the cost before
treatment. Given the option,
86% said they would compare
prices before going to the hospital if prices were posted
online.
Four in ten (41%) of those surveyed have been unable to pay a
medical bill at some point. Meanwhile, nearly 30% currently have
medical debt. When given an option on how medical bills that can't
be paid should be handled, 46% believed they should be put on a
payment plan; another one in four (25%) said
that the government should pay the doctor or hospital; 13% said the
debt should just be forgiven; and 12% said volunteer work should be
done in exchange for a discount.
The survey also revealed that three in four (73%) Americans
don't think that someone should have to declare bankruptcy over
unpaid medical bills. When asked if unpaid medical bills should
impact one's credit score, a majority (77%) said no. When asked
what the best fix is for our healthcare system, only 3% said to leave it as is.
Entire survey results URL:
https://www.healthpocket.com/health-insurance-insights/medical-debt-in-us-2019
Some other key findings:
- 71% needed some kind of medical care outside of a routine
wellness visit in the last year
- 49% have used their health insurance two or more times in the
last year
- 11% with medical debt have considered declaring bankruptcy
- 47% think the government should forgive the $81 billion in past-due medical debt
- 51% think everyone should have the same healthcare even if they
don't spend the same amount to get it
ABOUT HEALTHPOCKET: HealthPocket is a free information
source designed to help consumers find medical coverage. Whether
you are looking for Medicare, Medicaid or an individual health
insurance plan, we will help you compare benefits and coverage,
understand your out of pocket healthcare costs and help you to find
the right healthcare option. We receive our data from government,
non-profit, and private sources, and you should confirm key
provisions of your coverage with your selected health plan. If you
select an individual plan presented on our site, you will be
directed (via a click or a call) to one of our partners who can
help you with your application. Our website is not a health
insurance agency and not affiliated with and does not represent or
endorse any health plan. HealthPocket, Inc. is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Health Plan Intermediaries Holdings LLC. (NASDAQ: HIIQ)
METHODOLOGY:The results above were gathered through an
online poll of 1,100 Americans between the ages of 18-64. The poll
was conducted in November 2019 and
was weighted to get representative samples from each state based on
population.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS:HealthPocket, Inc. is a
Silicon Valley-based technology company and wholly owned subsidiary
of Health Plan Intermediaries Holdings LLC, part of the Health
Insurance Innovations, Inc. family companies (NASDAQ: HIIQ). This
press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Forward-looking statements are statements other than
historical fact, and may include statements relating to goals,
plans and projections regarding new markets, products, services,
growth strategies, anticipated trends in our business and
anticipated changes and developments in the United States health insurance system and
laws. Forward-looking statements are based on our current
assumptions, expectations and beliefs are generally identifiable by
use of words "may," "might," "will," "should," "expects," "plans,"
"anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential" or
"continue," or similar expressions and involve significant risks
and uncertainties that could cause actual results, developments and
business decisions to differ materially from those contemplated by
these statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among
other things, our ability to maintain relationships and develop new
relationships with health insurance carriers and distributors, our
ability to retain our members, the demand for our products, the
amount of commissions paid to us or changes in health insurance
plan pricing practices, our ability to integrate our acquisitions,
competition, changes and developments in the United States health insurance system and
laws, and our ability to adapt to them, the ability to maintain and
enhance our name recognition, difficulties arising from
acquisitions or other strategic transactions, and our ability to
build the necessary infrastructure and processes to maintain
effective controls over financial reporting. These and other risk
factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from
those expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements are
discussed in HIIQ's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as well as other
documents that may be filed by HIIQ from time to time with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at
www.sec.gov. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press
release is based only on information currently available to us and
speaks only as of the date on which it is made. You should not rely
on any forward-looking statement as representing our views in the
future. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be
made from time to time, whether as a result of new information,
future developments or otherwise.
For More Information:
Investor Contact:
Westwicke
Bob East
Jordan Kohnstam
Asher Dewhurst
(443) 213-0500
hiiq@westwicke.com
Media Contact:
Westwicke PR
Sean Leous
(646) 677-1839
Sean.leous@icrinc.com
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/survey-more-than-half-of-americans-have-avoided-medical-care-due-to-cost-300963503.html
SOURCE HealthPocket