Health Affairs

Health Affairs, doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.26.2.w217 (Published online February 6, 2007) © 2007 by Project HOPE	New Online   Getting Health Reform Done   After the State of the Union   Incremental Reform   E-Health in Developing World   Most-Read Articles in 2009

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Self-Pay Markets In Health Care: Consumer Nirvana Or Caveat Emptor?

Ha T. Tu ^1* Jessica H. May ²

¹ Ha T. Tu is a senior health researcher at the Center for Studying Health System Change in Washington, D.C.
² Jessica May was a health research analyst there and is now a graduate student at Princeton University.

^*Corresponding author.

Abstract

As consumers face more incentives to make cost-conscious medical care decisions, some policymakers cite self-pay markets as models for consumer shopping. An analysis of the LASIK market revealed limited shopping overall, despite the fact that patients pay the full cost. For other self-pay procedures, consumers shop even less, for reasons ranging from urgency, to costs of obtaining price quotes, to quality concerns that prompt many consumers to rely on word-of-mouth recommendations. Given that consumer shopping is not prevalent in most self-pay markets, we expect the extent of shopping to be even more limited for many services covered by insurance. [Health Affairs 26, no. 2 (2007): w217-w226 (published online 6 February 2007; 10.1377/hlthaff.26.2.w217)]

Key Words: Business Of Health, Consumer Issues, Insurance Coverage, Health Spending, Insurance Market

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