Poll Finds Most Would Share Health Information With Insurers To Reduce Premiums.

HealthDay (11/14, Norton) reports that a new Harris Interactive/HealthDaypoll of 2,033 Americans conducted online October 21-23 found that “Many Americans say they’d submit to insurance company medical tests and lifestyle monitoring in exchange for lower-cost premiums.” Overall, “Three-quarters said they’d have a blood pressure check, while 68 percent were willing to undergo blood sugar or cholesterol tests,” and “nearly half said they’d undergo genetic tests” and give the results to an insurer. Still, fewer “just over half” were willing to have their exercise or diet efforts monitored, while “only about 38 percent would follow a specific diet.”
US News & World Report (11/14, Bidwell) reports, “76 percent said they would share the results of blood pressure tests, 68 percent said they would reveal whether they have diabetes or high cholesterol, and 49 percent said they would undergo invasive genetic testing.” Harris Poll Chairman Humphrey Taylor commented that the poll indicates “a substantial opportunity for health plans to test and monitor the health status and health risk behaviors of health plan members.” Jennifer Blumenthal-Barby of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston urged any people to “be a little cautious and read the fine print” in any such agreement. While most were willing to offer general health information and more would if there were a monetary incentive, they “were less willing to have their lifestyle influenced, even if there was a monetary reward,” as “just 38 percent” would agree to “a specific diet,” while “only 28 percent…would attend a class or fill out diary entries.”

Source article: Bulletin Healthcare