Nearly a third (32 percent) of consumers use the internet or mobile apps to compare prices for healthcare services, according to UnitedHealthcare's 2017 Consumer Sentiment Survey.
The report comprises responses from 1,006 U.S. adults. The Minnetonka, Minn.-based insurer's longitudinal survey aims to highlight consumers' opinions and preferences about healthcare.
Here are five findings from the study.
1. While nearly a third of consumers use the internet or mobile apps to compare healthcare service prices today, 14 percent of Americans did the same in 2012.
2. When broken down between generations, 36 percent of millennials used the internet or mobile apps as their first source of information about health conditions. Twenty percent of baby boomers did the same.
3. Thirty-nine percent of respondents underestimated the average cost of a knee MRI ($900) as between $400 and $800. Only 4 percent of respondents estimated the correct amount.
4. Sixty-three percent of respondents underestimated the average cost of a knee replacement ($36,000) as between $5,000 and $25,000. Only 10 percent estimated the correct amount.
5. Nine percent of respondents understood all of these four health insurance terms: health plan premium, health plan deductible, out-of-pocket maximum and co-insurance.
Access the full survey here.
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