Business
Extra service can pay
■ An occasional snapshot of current facts and trends in medicine.
Quick View. Posted Sept. 19, 2005
Service can matter more than cost.
More than half of American adults say that if a physician offers something they need, and comes highly recommended by a source they trust, they'll see that physician, even if it means paying out-of-network fees.
One out of six American adults say they already sometimes visit physicians who don't accept their health insurance, a recent Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive survey found. The survey of 2,300 American adults, conducted between Aug. 19 and 23, found that 53% of insured adults were very or somewhat willing to see an out-of-network doctor. The degree to which insured Americans would be willing to forgo their coverage and pay higher costs depended on the services they stood to receive from that physician.
Note: Percentages do not add up to 100% because of rounding.
Source: Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive survey