Different generations are expressing their own needs and interests about how health care is delivered, according to a survey of 2,016 U.S. adults conducted by Oliver Wyman, in collaboration with Fortune Knowledge Group.
While nearly 80 percent of the respondents say their medical care is “good or great,” there are differences across the generations about their wish lists for health care.
Millennials are not opposed to paying for high-tech -- and high-touch -- health care experiences, such as an on-camera visit with a doctor or an app that enables a consultation with specialists. Social support matters just as much as technology, as respondents within that generational groups ranked the desire for an in-person consultation with a patient advocate expert the same as they ranked the desire for wearables that monitor their health and wellness. More than half (55 percent) of millennials said their highest-ranking health care offering is guaranteed appointments with a specialist within a week.
On the other hand, the highest-rated offering for many Gen Xers -- many of whom have very young children -- is same-day appointments with a family doctor, while boomers are most interested in home visits with a doctor or nurse.
The “silent generation” -- born between 1925 and 1945 -- require greater levels of higher-intensity care, and may also place strain on their boomer or Gen X children/caregivers, according to the survey.
“The days of viewing health care holistically are over,” the authors write.
“Health care companies that adopt a universal consumer strategy will face challenges and frustrations because there is no single strategy that will meet these varied desires and needs,” they write.
“Instead, it’s about personalization, seeing the complexity of the consumer market, and adopting a multi-faceted consumer’s point of view -- one that can be executed through a number of different strategies.”
Other survey findings include:
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Baby boomers are the generation most satisfied with their current health care experience. However, they also are the most pessimistic about the future. Just 21 percent think their care will get better over the next five years.
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While they are less open to new products and services than millennials, solutions that address boomers’ specific concerns (e.g., fear of losing mobility) could break through their hesitations.
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Family caregivers -- people who say they are responsible for the care of someone else -- are far more likely to be interested in extra health care services, such as access to medical professionals via a 24-hour help line or home computer, than those who are not caregivers.
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Katie Kuehner-Hebert
Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a freelance writer based in Running Springs, Calif. She has more than three decades of journalism experience, with particular expertise in employee benefits and other human resource topics.
