Fishburn Hedges

26.01.2011

Our recent Front Room focus group looked into people’s attitudes towards their health and healthcare provision – in particular examining their views on the private healthcare market.

Our relationship with healthcare providers is a complex and often contradictory one. While we are heavily reliant on them and can find reassurance in having private health insurance ‘just in case’, when it comes down to it we don’t quite trust them.

But what is the source of this mistrust? And what does it really mean for private providers?

What we think about when we think about health

The starting point for the discussion was how much we really think about our health, and why. The group ranged from those who are utterly preoccupied with their health and the health of their loved ones, to those who claim never to think about it.

In fact, while the majority of the group could reel off stories about their medical issues when prompted, no one’s primary concern was really their own health. There were those who had an attitude of ‘it’ll never happen to me, so why should I think about it?’ For the main part however people’s health concerns revolve around their family’s wellbeing, or what impact it could have on their loved ones if they were to fall sick.

When it comes to health we are largely led by our natural instinct to protect the ones we love.

This is where private healthcare comes in for the majority of the group. Knowing it’s there offers reassurance and  a sense that they’ve ‘done all they can’ to protect their family. One individual who was urged by a colleague to get health insurance for her and her daughter described it as ‘the best piece of advice she’s ever been given’.

Who can we trust?

With this in mind, we then explored who it is people trust for advice on health matters, and how they make the distinction between trustworthy and untrustworthy sources?

Unsurprisingly, word of mouth is one of the most influential sources of information when it comes to shaping attitudes about healthcare – particularly in relation to the quality of service on offer, whether from the NHS or a private provider.

Where we go to get information on health issues is less of a clear picture. Again unsurprisingly, the internet is often the first port of call and, in places, it is trusted. The problem is one of volume: there’s so much often contradictory advice out there, how do you know what to believe or what is most relevant to you?

Ultimately, we don’t feel equipped to make the distinction or knowledgeable enough to tell good advice from bad.

The other major issue is around who is an ‘official’ or ‘authoritative’ source of information. A private healthcare provider may well be an authoritative voice on healthcare, but aren’t they just trying to sell us something?

So we find ourselves in the position of being bombarded with information but feeling starved of trustworthy advice.

Seeking a healthcare partner?

Interestingly, despite the cynicism about insurance companies trying to sell to us, there may still be a place for private healthcare providers to fill the gap as a trusted source of information. 

We tested the idea of private companies acting as advisors or partners to their customers, helping them to stay healthy. In fact, among those who already have private health insurance, this idea went down better than expected. As customers are already paying for a service, they would comfortably accept impartial information as an ongoing benefit, even when they don’t need to make a claim.

The key for this to work, though, is the provision of relevant, tailored communications. Customers will trust the information if it feels like a service specifically for them, which is customised and relates to their medical concerns.

What’s the lesson for private providers?

Providers are faced with a tricky challenge. We want the reassurance offered by health insurance but we don’t trust the people who provide it.

We favour the concept of being prepared and ready to face any unknown ailments that may lie in the future, but we still believe that private healthcare is, after all, just another form of insurance, tarred with perceptions (based on anecdotes we’ve all heard) that insurance companies will do anything not to pay out.

So where does this leave us? Is this a relationship that private providers can fix?

The answer may be in the idea of being an advisor to their customers: what if they weren’t just insurers and weren’t just there when something goes wrong, but actually offered support to stay well and keep our families well? That, according to the group, is where the opportunity lies.