Nonprofit Offers Consumers Healthcare Cost Transparency Website Referencing 27 Billion Claims Records

(New York, NY) FAIR Health possesses the nation’s largest collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over 27 billion claim records contributed by payors and administrators who insure or process claims for private insurance plans covering more than 150 million individuals and they want you to have access to their information.

In 2018, consumers across the country made widespread use of fairhealthconsumer.org, a free, award-winning, healthcare cost transparency website, according to FAIR Health analytics. The year-end statistics provide insight into users’ demographics and habits and how healthcare cost transparency can be successful.

“We are pleased that consumers across the country are finding their way to the healthcare cost estimate tools and educational materials available on FAIR Health Consumer and FAIR Health Consumidor,” stated FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd. “Helping consumers navigate the complexities of the healthcare system is an integral part of FAIR Health’s mission.”

FAIR Health Consumer, which includes medical and dental cost lookup tools and rich educational material on health insurance, reached hundreds of thousands of users and received millions of page views in 2018. The top 10 states from which users originated included all four US Census Regions: Northeast (New York, New Jersey), South (Texas, Florida, Georgia, Virginia), Midwest (Illinois, Ohio) and West (California, Oregon).

All types of insurance status were represented among visitors to FAIR Health Consumer, including out of network (29.5 percent), in network (26.1 percent) and uninsured (13.8 percent).

 

Who is using Fair Health?

Data from the website was evaluated with multiple filter criteria.

Gender

The gender distribution differed between users of FAIR Health Consumer and FAIR Health Consumidor. Women (52 percent) were more common than men (48 percent) among FAIR Health Consumer users, though the split was fairly even. But men (62 percent) predominated over women (37 percent) among FAIR Health Consumidor users.

Age

All adult age groups were represented among FAIR Health Consumer users. The biggest share was that of individuals aged 25 to 34 years:

• 18-24: 9.3 percent;
• 25-34: 28.4 percent;
• 35-44: 26.2 percent;
• 45-54: 15.1 percent;
• 55-64: 12.7 percent; and
• 65+: 8.3 percent.

FAIR Health Consumidor users similarly represented a broad spectrum of adult age groups, but the biggest age group was that of individuals aged 35 to 44 years.

Search Terms

The top searched medical term on FAIR Health Consumer was “MRI,” but the top searched term on FAIR Health Consumidor was “psychotherapy.” “CT scan” and “colonoscopy” were the second and third top terms, respectively, on the English-language site, compared to “colonoscopy” and “MRI,” respectively, on the Spanish-language site.

The top three dental terms searched on FAIR Health Consumer, from highest to lowest, were “root canal,” “crown” and “implant.” The top three dental terms searched on FAIR Health Consumidor, from highest to lowest, were “bone surgery,” “grafts” and “soft tissue (gum).”

Access to the Sites

FAIR Health Consumer users accessed the site much more often via tablet or desktop (70 percent) than mobile (30 percent), but the reverse was true for FAIR Health Consumidor users (25 percent tablet or desktop versus 75 percent mobile).

What is FAIR Health?

FAIR Health is a national, independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation’s largest collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over 27 billion claim records contributed by payors and administrators who insure or process claims for private insurance plans covering more than 150 million individuals.

FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish and an English/Spanish mobile app, which enable consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offer a rich educational platform on health insurance. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. FAIR Health also is named a top resource for patients in Elisabeth Rosenthal’s book, An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org.

Help Support Local News, Become a Sponsor or Advertiser. Our Ad Rates are the most affordable in town. Contact Us for More Information.