Millennial Expectations in Healthcare

• Millennials make up around 23% of the U.S. population and they are known for their unique views on different daily life topics.
• Healthcare is not an exception and it is not suprising that millennials have strong opinions on what they want from healthcare providers.
• A majority of millennials grew up "as digital natives and expect convenience, speed, and transparency from the services they purchase."
• The above expectations bleed over into healthcare and this has resulted in millennials turning the traditional care delivery model on its head.
• Six key expectations that millennials have in regard to their healthcare are:

Taking Care into their Own Hands

• Millennials see themselves as responsible for their own healthcare and they are less likely to rely on a health system they are dissatisfied with.
• To this effect, a survey by Kaiser Family Foundation found that 45% of 18 to 29 year-olds and 28% of 30 to 49 year-olds have no primary care provider (PCP).
• This is a big contrast to the survey's findings for other generations where 85% have a PCP.
• Additionally, more than a third of millennials prefer healthcare from retail walk-in clinics over visiting their doctor’s office. This shows a shift towards on-demand healthcare "where younger patients prioritize speed of delivery and availability of appointments over the relationship developed with a PCP."

Doing Healthcare Research

•  38% of millennials say that they trust their peers more than their physicians while more than 55% of them reported that the information they find online is “as reliable” as their doctor.
• Infact, for health concerns that are not urgent/critical, millennials are twice as likely as other generations to act on health advice found online, including from sources like social media.
• Additionally, around 50% of millennials and gen xers use online reviews to select care providers. On the other hand only 40% of baby boomers and 28% of seniors use online reviews to select healthcare providers.

Millennials Want Up Front Cost Estimates

• Millennials are the generation that is attributed to wanting change in regard to price transparency in healthcare. 
• A recent survey discovered that millennials are twice as likely as seniors and boomers to request cost estimates before undergoing treatment and they often check prices at multiple locations before making a decision.
• Additionally, after receiving the bill over a third of the surveyed millennials noted it was higher than the estimate and only 8% reported a bill lower than the estimate.
• The survey also found out that millennials and gen xers are more likely to forego care because of the expense.
• While "all age groups thought healthcare was too expensive - 79% and costs are unpredictable - 77%, 54% of millennials and 53% of gen xers have put off care due to costs. Conversely, just 18% of seniors and 37% of baby boomers have put off care due to high costs."

• The other three considerations that millennials have for their healthcare include they want apps for managing their healthcare, they have a different definition of "healthy" , and they like shopping online for healthcare insurance.