title: Most Americans Do Not Believe That There Is An Association Between Health Care Prices And Quality Of Care.
abstract: Many organizations are developing health care price information tools for consumers. However, consumers may avoid low-price care if they perceive price to be associated with quality. We conducted a nationally representative survey to examine whether consumers perceive that price and quality are associated and whether the way in which questions are framed affects consumers' responses. Most Americans (58-71 percent, depending on question framing) did not think that price and quality are associated, but a substantial minority did perceive an association (21-24 percent) or were unsure whether there was one (8-16 percent). Responses to questions framed in terms of high price and high quality differed from responses to questions framed in terms of low price and low quality. People who had compared prices were more likely than those who had not compared prices to perceive that price and quality were associated. We explore implications of these findings, including how behavioral economics can inform approaches to helping consumers use price and quality information.
authors.affiliation: Kathryn A. Phillips (Kathryn.Phillips@ucsf.edu) is a professor of health economics and health services research at the University of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: Kathryn A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.affiliation: David Schleifer is a senior research associate at Public Agenda, in New York City.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schleifer
authors.affiliation: Carolin Hagelskamp is vice president and director of research at Public Agenda.
authors.forename: Carolin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hagelskamp
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003469:Culture; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D018588:Fee-for-Service Plans / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States
keywords: Consumer Issues; Health Economics; Health Spending; Public Opinion