Generation X respondents tend to be less trustful of, and want more personal attention and time from, their physicians. They are also the most likely age group to use health plan Web sites for answers about doctor/hospital price and quality. The Deloitte survey found:

Gen X and Doctors:

• Least satisfied of the age groups (Gen Y, Gen X, Baby Boomers and Seniors) with their primary care physicians (79.2 rate on 1-100 scale, with 100 being highest satisfaction)
• Least trustful of doctors, with rating of 7.6 on a 1-10 scale, 10 being greatest trust
• Mostly likely to pick a doctor based on cost vs. quality
• More independent in terms of making medical decisions than Gen Y and Seniors
• Highest interest in same-day doctor appointments, but less willing than Gen Y to pay extra for it
• Most likely to want more personal attention and time from their doctors

Gen X and Insurance Plans

• Tend to be more trusting of health-plan sites (6.5 out of 10, just behind Gen Y, with 10 being most trusting)
• Far more likely to have looked at a health plan website for doctor/hospital quality (31 percent)
• Most likely to be interested in quality ratings provided by health plans
• Highest interest in health plan data on cost of doctor/hospital services
• Highest among those who sought coverage information from their plans – 57.2 percent
• Nearly 40 percent have made insurance coverage changes to lower costs for self or family
• Highest in terms of interest in customizing insurance plans to have benefits features and programs they value and with corresponding pricing – 69.1 on 1-100 scale, 100 being greatest interest in customizing
• Highest use of health-related websites for information about medications

Gen X and Industry Innovation

• Nearly 16 percent of Gen X have bought medications online or through mail order
• Least likely to maintain a personal health record (only 1 in 5)
• Highest interest in online access to medical records and test results (7.4 on a 1-10 scale)
• And the least willing to pay extra for that access -  21.3 percent
• 1 in 3 would use a walk-in retail clinic; Gen X is the most comfortable of the age groups with retail clinics

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