What Kind of Health Care Shopper Are You? Discovering Your Healthcare Persona

Posted on October 2, 2023

I must confess – I love shopping. My enthusiasm for a great bargain, with discounts ranging from 40% to 70%, is evident, especially in my well-stocked wardrobe. However, when it comes to health care, I assume the characteristics of a quarterback, coupled with a dash of spender and researcher tendencies. How about you? If you are wondering what I mean, keep reading.

What Kind of Health Care Shopper Are You?

Discovering Your Healthcare Persona

I must confess – I love shopping. My enthusiasm for a great bargain, with discounts ranging from 40% to 70%, is evident, especially in my well-stocked wardrobe. Truth be told, my intense affection for snagging a good deal extends beyond clothing – it seeps into my passion for furniture, travel, and various other worldly goods.

However, when it comes to health care, I assume the characteristics of a quarterback, coupled with a dash of spender and researcher tendencies. How about you? If you are wondering what I mean, keep reading.

In her insightful book, "The Health Care Consumer's Manifesto,[i]" Deborah Dove Gordon

categorizes healthcare shoppers into 12 distinct types, each representing diverse approaches to making healthcare purchase decisions – both significant and minor.

These 12 personas are as follows:

1. The Organizer: Driven by fairness and order, organizers rely on themselves to navigate our complex and fragmented healthcare system, assess service values, and maintain meticulous patient records.

2. The Negotiator: Skilled in the art of bartering, they prioritize getting a good deal and “have the confidence and the energy to hold providers accountable for delivering fair value.” (p. 60)[ii]

3. The Value Seeker: Cost-conscious consumers who are on a quest for the best deals and incentive-driven, basing their healthcare decisions solely on affordability.

4. The Sheriff: Well-versed in the rules of healthcare, they fight incorrect bills by appealing unfair decisions, valuing savings and principles “. . . no matter how frustrating or time-consuming.” (p.61)[iii]

5. The Acceptor: Recognizing our broken healthcare system, they engage within it only when absolutely necessary, preserving their energy for other pursuits.

6. The Trusting Soul: Despite acknowledging the system’s flaws, they trust that it generally functions effectively and focuses on living their lives. “Life is short. Go smell some flowers!” [iv]

7. The Spender: Financially secure individuals prioritizing top-notch providers, less concerned about cost.

8. The Aspiring Shopper: Wanting options and the best-fit products and services within their budget, often unsure about how the healthcare system works. They “. . . have no sense that their expectations are crazy, because well, they aren’t” [v]

9. The Quarterback: Empowered individuals who take charge of their healthcare decisions, recognizing that they drive their healthcare journeys.

10. The Avoider: Averse to healthcare discussions and visits, often delaying seeking medical attention until absolutely necessary.

11. The Researcher: Curious and skeptical consumers who question their doctors, favoring quality over cost savings, seeking evidence-based choices.

12. The Sage: Older, Medicare-enrolled consumers who prioritize understanding their health situation, making informed decisions, and valuing true relationships with healthcare providers.

In a consumer-driven economy, we often spend more time contemplating our next cup of coffee than our healthcare, “The Health Care Consumer’s Manifesto” challenges us to do better by becoming active and informed about the choices we make when it comes to our well-being.

Understanding your own preferences and needs is a crucial first step. By recognizing your unique healthcare shopping style, you can tailor your choices and find services and providers that suit you best.

Discovering your healthcare persona can pave the way to a more informed and empowered healthcare journey, where you make decisions aligned with your values and preferences.

[i] Gordon, Deborah Dove. The Health Care Consumer’s Manifesto: How to Get the Most for Your Money, 2020. Praeger, pp 59-66.
[ii] Ibid. P. 60
[iii] Ibid. P. 61
[iv] Ibid. p.62
[v] Ibid, p. 63