What Kind of Health Care Shopper Are You?

Posted on May 31, 2022

I enjoy - no to be honest . . . I love, shopping – as evidenced by my wardrobe. What I enjoy/love even more is a great bargain – 40 – 70% off is . . . the best. Truth be told, my grab-a-bargain pleasure extends in other areas as well – furniture, travel, and other worldly goods. When it comes to health care though, I very much lean towards being a quarterback, with a side of being a spender and a side of being a researcher. How about you? No clue what I’m talking about . . . keep reading.

I enjoy - no to be honest . . . I love, shopping – as evidenced by my wardrobe. What I enjoy/love even more is a great bargain – 40 – 70% off is . . . the best. Truth be told, my grab-a-bargain pleasure extends in other areas as well – furniture, travel, and other worldly goods.

When it comes to health care though, I very much lean towards being a quarterback, with a side of being a spender and a side of being a researcher. How about you? No clue what I’m talking about . . . keep reading

Deborah Dove Gordon, in her book, "The Health Care Consumer's Manifesto," identifies 12 different types of health care shoppers - how healthcare purchase decisions are made - major and minor decision moments - in which purchase decisions are made when considering (shopping for) greater well-being.i

The 12 shopping types are: The Organizer, The Negotiator, The Value Seeker, The Sheriff, The Acceptor, The Trusting Soul, The Spender, The Aspiring Shopper, The Quarterback, The Avoider, The Researcher and The Sage.ii

You are an Organizer if you:

• rely on yourself to navigate through our confusing and messy healthcare

system.

• assess the value of services and the fairness of the charges.

• keep track of your patient records with visit dates and outcomes and

medical bills paid and outstanding balances.

• are driven by order and fairness.

Organizers are confident, competent and self-reliant. (p.59)

You are a Negotiator if you:

• like bartering.

• care more about getting a better deal than about the price.

• negotiate simply to see what you can get.

• confront costs head on.

• are not shy or sensitive about asking.

Negotiators, “have the confidence and the energy to hold providers accountable for delivering fair value.” (p. 60)

You are a Value Seeker if you:

• focus solely as a cost-conscious health care consumer.

• are on a quest for the best deal.

• are incentive driven.

• health care decisions are based solely on cost.

Value drivers seek a cheaper way to get what they need. “If not, they might avoid care until their health need becomes urgent.” (p 60)

You are a Sherriff if you:

• know the rules - or think you do - and do your best to hold people

accountable to them.

• fight bills and appeal decisions that are incorrect or unfair.

• value savings, however principle is more important.

Sherriff’s will, “. . . pursue this vision of justice to the end of the road, no matter how frustrating or time consuming.” (p.61)

You are an Acceptor if you:

• recognize how complex and broken the American health care system is

and that you cannot fix it.

• also recognize the aggravation involved is not worth fighting over.

• preserve your energy for other pursuits.

• engage the (health care) system only when you must.

Acceptors are of the mind set of, “If getting their due seems like it will require energy, it’s not worth it. Admit defeat. Cut losses. Move on.” (p. 61.)

You are a Trusting Soul if you:

Trusting Souls are the opposite of the Acceptor. Where Acceptor’s have no trust – feeling mislead, cheated, hustled . . . The Trusted Soul:

• recognize our health care system is beyond messy, but it is what it is.

• assume it generally works well enough.

“Life is short. Go smell some flowers!” (p. 62)

You are a Spender if you:

• have a level of financial security that allows you to focus on getting the best

care from the best providers.

• have enough resources to prioritize their health or that of their family.

• willing to pay for the confidence that they’re in the right hands.

• lease likely to care about cost.

• do not negotiate or shop around – “unless there might be a better-quality

option available.” (p.63)

You are an Aspiring Shopper if you:

• don’t understand is so different from everything else you spend money on.

• want options.

• want the best-fit products at prices that fit within your budget.

• don’t know why things work or why they don’t work.

Aspiring shoppers “. . . have no sense that their expectations are crazy, because, well, they aren’t.” (p.63)

You are a Quarterback if you:

• do not want to be told what to do when it comes to your health care.

• recognize that no one will look out for their interests better than they do.

• have the capacity to see the whole playing field and are not afraid to direct

their own care.

• stay on top of health care complexity and take self-reliance to a new level.

Quarterbacks understand and accept that they are the drivers of their health care journeys.” (p.64)

You are an Avoider if you:

• DO NOT want to talk about doctors, health care, medical bills or anything

else remotely related.

• can get away with ever going to the doctor, you will make every effort to do

so.

• show up at the emergency room on death’s door before you would go for a

checkup.

• if family, friend, or someone else can write a necessary prescription, tha’s

the way to go.

Avoiders are just that. “If what they need requires a doctor visit, they’ll probably wait it out as long as possible.” (p.64)

You are a Researcher if you:

• are curious and skeptical.

• don’t blindly trust anyone.

• find yourself with the confidence to question what your doctor is telling

you.

• are confident in your ability to find and understand evidence.

• want choices and decide for yourself.

“Their decisions typically favor quality over cost savings, so long as there is some proof the treatment will work.” (p. 65)

You are a Sage if you

• are an older consumer, on Medicare for a while.

• ask questions to better understand your situation as it relates to your

health, risks and options.

• routinely make trade-offs, financial or otherwise.

• recognize inevitable physical declines, however remain cognitively sharp

or at least capable of organizing and managing your financial and health

care lives.

• prefer to build true relationships with your health care providers.

• prefer not to switch doctors or insurers, however will evaluate options if

you must.

• tend not to negotiate or unduly chase better financial deals.

• Google is a key resource.

“Raised at a time when frugality, modesty, and responsibility were prized values, they also appreciate modern technological and societal advances and have learned to benefit from them.” (p. 66)

With the exception of health care. we are a consumer-driven economy – spending more time thinking about our next cup of coffee than our health care. The Health Care Consumer’s Manifesto challenges each of us to be more active and informed about our well-being.

A good place to start, “. . . consumers themselves can – and should – recognize their own styles, preferences, and needs. At least by knowing yourself, you can find services and providers that suit you.” (p. 66)

i i Gordon, Deborah Dove. The Health Care Consumer’s Manifesto: How to Get the Most for Your Money, 2020. Praeger, pp 59-66.