Higher medical fees increase expected pain and reduce willingness to book appointments
Rising out-of-pocket medical costs do more than drain a patient's bank account. New research from Carnegie Mellon University shows that high health care prices cause people to expect greater physical pain during medical procedures, driving many patients to skip necessary appointments altogether.
Higher medical fees are causing patients to anticipate more physical pain during procedures and reducing their willingness to book appointments, according to new research from Carnegie Mellon University. The study, published in Psychology & Marketing, reveals that the financial sting of out-of-pocket costs spills over into patients' expectations of how painful medical treatments will be.
When faced with increased out-of-pocket fees, patients report higher immediate financial discomfort, which in turn triggers broader financial anxiety. This emotional response leads the brain to expect significantly more physical pain from procedures, ranging from simple blood tests to complex endoscopies. Researchers conducted three experiments in which participants evaluated identical medical procedures with varying out-of-pocket prices.
Across all scenarios, higher prices consistently led participants to predict greater physical discomfort and decrease their willingness to schedule appointments. The study's lead author, Helen Colby, explains that the psychological pain of financial strain doesn't remain isolated from our physical expectations. When a medical test costs more out of pocket, people mentally prepare for a more painful experience.
Financial anxiety amplifies this reaction, making low-income or financially strained individuals the most likely to delay necessary care due to the fear of pain. The findings highlight a critical vulnerability for consumers facing tight budgets and suggest that health care providers and marketers should be aware of the heavy emotional weight that price tags carry.
Communicating lower-cost options, offering clear payment plans, or framing preventive care as low-cost could lower financial anxiety and encourage patients to seek the medical care they need.
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