The McKinsey Quarterly

close Visitor Edition

McKinsey Quarterly is the business journal of McKinsey & Company.

Upgrade to Premium Membership to read this article

  • Recommendations (21)
  • Text Size
  • Print
  • Download PDF
  • Link to This

The role of emotions in buying health insurancePremium

As consumers face more choice, complexity, and financial exposure for their health care in an increasingly uncertain world, what they are really seeking is peace of mind.

Health Care, Strategy & Analysis article, emotions health insurance

In This Article

More than 140 million Americans currently have discretion over health insurance purchases, representing a total of $785 billion in premiums or premium equivalents. Yet most are unable to revisit their current insurance status. A combination of economic anxiety, confusing insurance products, and inadequate distribution is leading to consumer paralysis. Moreover, our research suggests that millions would fail to make rational economic choices even if they understood their options better. Unlike employers that purchase health insurance for their workers, consumers approach this issue by factoring in much more than expense management. More specifically, consumers’ purchasing decisions are often emotionally based, as they are seeking peace of mind in their choices.

...

Premium Membership

Already a Quarterly member? Log in now.
Are you a Firm member or alumnus?

Premium Membership benefits:

  • Access to the entire Quarterly archive
  • Subscription to the collector’s edition print journal
  • Downloadable PDFs of all articles for offline use
  • Premium Membership FAQs 

Start by filling in this form

  • Membership Information
  • Shipping, Billing, & Payment
  • Review & Complete

Country & Membership Term

Shipping & Handling covers all charges for your membership term.

You may pay with Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express.

Member Information

View our privacy policy.

We will not share your e-mail.
See details.

Newsletter Sign-up

View sample.

* Required

New In:
Embed E-mail