AccessOne Survey: 3 Out of 4 Consumers Say Inflation Impacts Healthcare Decisions

Seventy-one percent of consumers say inflation has affected healthcare purchasing decisions or their ability to pay their medical bills, according to a recent survey commissioned by AccessOne, a leading provider of patient financing solutions designed to help consumers better manage their healthcare costs.

Conducted by Big Village, the survey asked more than 1,000 respondents about their purchasing decisions and payment behavior ?including for healthcare?in the year ahead. Key findings include:

• Consumers are losing confidence in their ability to pay for healthcare expenses. Nearly one out of 10 people owe at least $250 in medical expenses, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey, yet 43% of AccessOne survey respondents say a bill of $249 is the maximum they could manage with confidence.
• About one in four say providers make it difficult for consumers to pay their medical bills. Nearly half of consumers say when text is offered as an option for payment, they pay their bills in six days or less.
• More than 80% of consumers say availability of affordable, long-term payment plans would make a difference in whether they decide to seek care. Today, 55% of consumers say they would be comfortable working with a financial company to come up with an affordable payment plan for their medical bills, but only 3% already are doing so.

Hospitals that are concerned about the impact of changes in consumer purchasing behavior on their bottom line in the year ahead should consider taking action to relieve the financial stress of care. AccessOne survey results found that about one out of two adults will put off care or medical expenses to avoid the expense in 2023. Meanwhile, more than half of consumers won't pay their bill right away if they fear they cannot afford it. Nearly half of consumers (47%) would switch providers for affordable, long-term payment?and 12% have done so in the past.

"During a period of high inflation and volatile credit markets, a health system's ability to offer flexible and inclusive payment options for consumers will be vital to patient retention and growth," says Mark Spinner, CEO, AccessOne. "Simplifying patient financial communications and offering multiple options for payment?including long-term payment for those with limited access to traditional credit?are key to supporting a healthcare provider's financial stability."

The survey was commissioned by AccessOne and conducted by Big Village from Dec. 2-4, 2022. Big Village surveyed 1,006 people, and completed interviews were weighted by age, sex, geographic region, race and education to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. adult population.

To see the full report, visit https://info.accessonepay.com/consumer-survey-report.

About AccessOne

AccessOne, a leading healthcare fintech company, partners with health systems to provide consumer centric payment tools for the modern patient. From pay-in-full to extended payment plans, our mobile-native pathways make understanding and paying medical bills easy and affordable. Our text-to-pay platform strips out the need to remember usernames, passwords or account numbers, creating a frictionless experience that drives more payments. Our inclusive patient financing solution adds a Care Now, Pay Later component that accepts all patients, meaningfully lowering the financial barriers to receiving high-quality healthcare. AccessOne is reimagining payments for healthcare. Learn more at www.accessonepay.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.