Despite their current reluctance to wholeheartedly welcome digital health tools such as remote monitoring devices and artificial intelligence algorithms into their lives, many Americans would do so if it meant lower healthcare costs, according to a recent survey.
In the Future of Health Care Study, researchers from Los Angeles-based USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism surveyed 1,000 respondents, representing every state.
Their key findings include:
1. Almost 25 percent of respondents said they would allow artificial intelligence-based technology to be applied to their medical treatment if it resulted in reduced medical costs or health insurance rates.
2. Even more of those surveyed were willing to accept increasingly invasive tradeoffs for lower prices: One-third said they would agree to round-the-clock personal monitoring by their insurance companies or healthcare professionals if it lowered their insurance rates.
3. While respondents expressed overall satisfaction with their current health insurers, 30 percent said they were open to purchasing less-expensive coverage from disruptors outside the healthcare industry, namely tech and retail giants such as Amazon, Google and Costco.