Boston, January 11, 2012 – A new report from Aite Group analyzes consumer sentiments about the U.S. healthcare market. Based on a November 2011 Aite Group survey of 1,024 U.S. consumers, the report is intended to provide health plans, financial institutions, and healthcare vendors with an understanding of consumer behavior as it relates to healthcare.

As the healthcare industry consciously tries to shift the cost of healthcare spending onto the consumer through consumer-directed healthcare (CDH) plans or by shifting the course of healthcare coverage from defined-benefit to defined-contribution plans, consumers have become increasingly savvy about their coverage and payment options. Despite this, consumers have a long way to go. This report provides an overview of the demographics of U.S. healthcare consumers, the relevance of social media to healthcare, individual and employer coverage information, average premiums paid by consumers, popular coverage options, healthcare transactions carried out by consumers, and consumer satisfaction with healthcare coverage. It also details the common payment methods for healthcare services received and discusses consumer usage of well-known prevention and wellness programs.

“Health plans and federal regulations have designed plans that would make consumers more responsible for managing their healthcare dollars, and have implemented measures that will enable consumers to assess what they spend on healthcare,” says Kunal Pandya, senior analyst with Aite Group and author of this report. “By understanding how consumers view and use health insurance, healthcare stakeholders will be in a better position to design products based on consumer requirements, and to communicate and market their products to end users.”

This 30-page Impact Report contains 30 figures. Clients of Aite Group’s Health Insurance service can download the report.