Here are five things to know about the survey results:
- Of the 750 consumers in the survey, 70 percent reported not comparing prices before shopping for medical services or pharmaceutical drugs.
- Despite growing industry and consumer awareness that medical procedure costs vary widely by location and provider, only 29 percent of health plan sponsors include a price comparison tool.
- Of the study participants, 42 percent said having such a tool in their wellness program was “very important.” Another 48 percent said a price comparison tool would be nice to have.
- Out of the 70 percent who don’t price shop, 41 percent said, “Cost is covered by my health plan, so it doesn’t matter” as the reason why they did not.
- Of those who do price shop, 45 percent do so by calling physicians in their health plan, while 35 percent rely on a price comparison tool.
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