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BONUS: How the U.S. Consumer Selects a Provider and Health System Study

Available: August 31, 2026

Overview

Not only are the lines between payors and providers blurring, but the financial strain between them is intensifying. As a result, it’s even more important to understand the factors at play when consumers seek out providers and health systems.

For consumers, finding and receiving satisfactory care is critical to their health outcomes — and how they perceive the insurance coverage and the health systems they rely on. From young couples with commercial coverage to older Medicare members with an emerging health challenge, different populations prioritize different things when seeking care.

In this first-of-its-kind study, we look across the broad U.S. healthcare consumer landscape to learn:

  • How to improve the experiences of consumers seeking new primary care providers
  • The value that payers and health systems bring to healthcare consumers for in-network status
  • How consumers’ relationships with specific providers impact their loyalty to (and preference for) their associated health systems
  • The nuanced preferences and behaviors of different healthcare consumer segments, including insurance coverage type, age/life stage, health needs, and more