Are adolescents able and willing to pay the fee for confidential health care?
We studied the ability and willingness of adolescents attending a suburban-based Adolescent Health Service to pay a fee for health care. Self-administered, anonymous questionnaires were distributed to 180 predominantly middle-class adolescent patients prior to the establishment of a fee-for-service payment plan. One hundred sixty-five respondents planned to continue as patients of the Adolescent Health Service; of these, 155 (94%) indicated that they would be able and willing to pay a fee. All of the 155 respondents indicated they could pay $5 per visit, two thirds could pay as much as $10, half could pay $15, and one fifth could pay $20 or more. Sources of fee money would be job earnings, a friend, allowance, and savings; 75% of respondents planned to pay without any help from parents. Analysis revealed few significant correlates of ability and willingness to pay with demographic, socioeconomic, and attitudinal factors. These data demonstrate that, although few of these middle-class adolescent patients indicated that they were able and willing to pay a full fee of $20 or more, most were able and willing to pay more than a token amount for health care.
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003219:Confidentiality; D004651:Employment; D005251:Fees, Medical / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010350:Patient Credit and Collection / Q000379:methods; D010548:Personal Health Services / Q000191:economics*; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014836:Volition