To better understand the perspectives and needs of older adults – those aged 65 and older – and family caregivers / care partners when making healthcare decisions and navigating the healthcare system, FAIR Health, a national independent nonprofit organization, commissioned ENGINE Insights to conduct a study comprising two national surveys that assessed perspectives of older adults and family caregivers / care partners on healthcare decision making (including shared decision making), the impact of healthcare cost on healthcare decisions, and challenges in navigating the healthcare system.
Key findings included the following:
- One in four older adults reported that they never know the cost of healthcare services before getting a bill.
- Though a significant proportion of older adults consider healthcare costs to be an important factor when making healthcare decisions, more than a third have difficulty getting such cost information.
- Among older adults, encountering difficulties in obtaining cost information may be an obstacle to accessing needed healthcare.
- More than one in four older adults reported putting off or skipping needed healthcare due to cost; those with lower household incomes were more likely to report forgoing needed care compared with older adults with higher household incomes.
Read more:
- White Paper: Healthcare Navigation and Decision Making – Perspectives of Adults Aged 65 and Older and Family Caregivers. FAIR Health. February 2022.