According to the Deloitte 2008 Survey of Health Care Consumers, Seniors are less likely than other age groups to support higher taxes to cover the uninsured and they rank highest in favor of mandated health insurance. They seek quality over cost in choosing a doctor and profess highest confidence in the safety/efficiency of prescriptions. Seniors, as compared to the other demographic groups, have a destinictive set of attitudes and behaviors towards health care. 

Other hightlights of the survey include:

Seniors and Their Doctors

• 96 percent have a primary care physician (overall average of 82 percent)
• Most likely to be satisfied with doctors, plans and hospitals (87 of 100)
• Most likely to trust their doctors (7.9 of 10)
• Seniors tend to go for a doctor based on quality over cost
• Seniors more than others switched treatment in past two years (25 percent) – but least when it came to switching doctors – 15.4 percent)
• Seniors are highest percentage of those who asked doctors about alternatives to doctor’s treatment recommendation (33.4 percent)
• Least interest in same-day appointments – 7.2 of 10, every other group is around 8 or higher; least likely to pay extra for same-day appointments

Seniors and Pharmaceuticals

• 34.5 percent have bought meds online or mail order.
• Highest rate of confidence in prescription medications (75.3 of 100)
• 56 percent were influenced by ads about medications and talked to the doctor about it, as opposed to the average of 51 percent
• Relatively comfortable with generics
• Highest percentage of all age groups in favoring prescription drugs over natural remedies

Seniors and Health Plans

• Nearly 94 percent have insurance
• Have the best understanding of health plans (72.9 on 1-100 scale, 100 being highest), compared to other survey demographic segments.
• 28 percent made changes to insurance coverage to reduce costs over the past two years (lowest of all age groups)
• Seniors are most likely to want packaged health care plans, as opposed to customized.
• Most likely to want to shop for their own insurance
• Lowest on the “wellness programs in exchange for low premiums/co-pays” scale
• Least likely to check health plan Web site for doctor/hospital quality (less than 20 percent)
• Least likely to have interest in health plan information on doctor/hospital prices (6.4 on a scale of 1-10)

Seniors and Public Policy

• Nearly 50 percent of seniors said they’d place health care in "Top 3" of election issues that will affect their votes.
• Fewest number of all age groups favor tax increase to cover the uninsured (24.5 percent), and by far the highest percentage of those favoring state mandates for health insurance (41.7 percent).

Seniors and Alternatives

• Nearly 20 percent of senior citizens have used alternative approaches to traditional health care
• Seniors far more likely to maintain personal health records – 37.4 percent
• Most interested in paying more for online access to an integrated medical record (31.1 percent)
• Least likely to have a procedure in a foreign country (29.1 percent); Gen Y is highest at 51.1 percent
• Highest level of interest in using home self-monitoring device
• By far, lowest percentage with a health savings/ reimbursement account (3.8 percent, average is 11 percent)

Related Content:
Survey: 2008 Survey of Health Care Consumers
Fact Sheet Library: Health Care Consumerism
Overview: Center for Health Solutions