Antecedents of Patient Trust in Health-Care Insurers

Abstract

Trust in health-care insurers is vital. It mediates important health behaviors that affect our lives. To date, the examination of antecedents of trust in health-care insurers was limited due to variance among multiple health plans. This study examines trust in health-care insurers that offer identical plans. Five categories of antecedents were tested: demographics of patients, attitudes of patients, communication style of the physician, situational health characteristics, and experiences of patients. Findings extend the existing knowledge regarding trust in health insurers. Applying service-marketing concepts, trust in physicians and satisfaction with insurers were the strongest predictors of trust in health-care insurers.

KEYWORDS:

• trust in health insurers
• trust in physicians
• patient satisfaction with insurer
• service marketing