FAIR Health Consumer Access

Adults 65 and Older Became the Largest Age Group of Users of the FAIR Health Consumer Website in 2024

In 2024, adults 65 and older became the largest age group of users of FAIR Health Consumer (fairhealthconsumer.org). That’s FAIR Health’s free, award-winning consumer website. Hundreds of thousands of users—a record number—visited the site last year. Other insights about how people used the site in 2024 can be found in FAIR Health’s annual infographic.

Age: Higher Use Among Older Adults
In 2024, adults 65 and older made up the largest share of website users. This was a change from 2023, when 25-34-year-olds were the largest share. The change happened because of a 2024 campaign across the country, Healthy Decisions for Healthy Aging. Funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation, it drew notice to the FAIR Health for Older Adults section of the consumer site. The age breakdown of FAIR Health Consumer users in 2024 was:

• 65+: 22 percent;
• 55-64: 19 percent;
• 45-54: 16 percent;
• 35-44: 11 percent;
• 25-34: 17 percent; and
• 18-24: 10 percent.

Gender
In 2024, 58 percent of FAIR Health Consumer users were female, 42 percent male. The share who were female grew since 2023, when 54 percent of users were female.

Top Medical and Dental Search Terms
FAIR Health Consumer’s cost lookup tools allow users to estimate healthcare costs. The costs can be for medical or dental care. Users can search by procedure and location. In 2024, the top five medical terms searched with the medical cost lookup tool were:

1. MRI;
2. Emergency;
3. CT scan;
4. Ultrasound; and
5. Anesthesia.

In 2024, the top five dental terms searched with the dental cost lookup tool were:

1. Implant;
2. Orthodontic;
3. Root canal;
4. Crown; and
5. Deep cleaning.

Top User Locations
The top five states from which people visited FAIR Health Consumer in 2024 were:

1. California;
2. New York;
3. Texas;
4. Florida; and
5. Illinois.

Most Popular Educational Topics
FAIR Health Consumer has a rich array of FH^® Insurance Basics. These are original articles and videos. They tell about complex healthcare topics in easy-to-understand language. The most popular topics from this library in 2024 were:

• When Out-of-Network Care Can Be Covered in Network;
• Having More Than One Health Plan;
• How to Review Your Medical Bill;
• Out-of-Network Doctors in In-Network Facilities; and
• Healthcare Services Not Covered by Health Insurance.

Top Decision Aids
Shared decision making is the discussion among patients, their caregivers and clinicians to decide on care. The decision is based on clinical options and patient preferences and values. It is helped by decision aids. These present treatment options for certain health problems. The decision aids are not intended to be medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. They should be discussed with your health professional, as each patient’s condition will vary. The decision aids on FAIR Health Consumer combine cost estimates with clinical information. In 2024, the top decision aids on FAIR Health Consumer were:

1. Early-stage breast cancer;
2. Nutrition options for people who are seriously ill;
3. Slow-growing prostate cancer;
4. Ventilator options for people who are seriously ill; and
5. Uterine fibroids—medication options.

The decision aids on FAIR Health Consumer were built in connection with three grant projects. All the projects were meant to advance shared decision making. One was an initiative for scenarios related to palliative care. That was funded by The New York Community Trust. Another was for conditions that affect patients of color. That was funded by the New York Health Foundation. A third was for conditions that affect older adults. That was funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation.

Most Often Visited Total Treatment Cost Bundles
FAIR Health Consumer’s medical cost lookup tool gives access to FH^® Total Treatment Cost bundles. Users can view the typical costs for all parts of care for certain chronic and acute conditions and procedures. The most often visited bundles in 2024 were:

• Heart failure;
• Vaginal delivery;
• C-section;
• Hip replacement; and
• Knee replacement.

For the infographic, click here.