Adults 65 and Older Became the Largest Age Group of Users of the FAIR Health Consumer Website in 2024
February 20, 2025
In 2024, adults 65 and older became the largest age group of users of FAIR Health Consumer (fairhealthconsumer.org), FAIR Health’s free, award-winning consumer website. Hundreds of thousands of users—a record number—visited the site last year. Original articles such as “Having More Than One Health Plan” and “Out-of-Network Doctors in In-Network Facilities” were among the most popular educational topics on FAIR Health Consumer. Other insights into search habits and user demographics in 2024 can be found in FAIR Health’s annual infographic on consumer website analytics.
For the 13th consecutive year, FAIR Health and its consumer website won several eHealthcare Leadership Awards for being reliable sources of healthcare information. In 2024, these awards included the Mark Gothberg eHealthcare Organizational Commitment Award, the highest honor awarded, which recognizes industry leadership, innovation and commitment.
Age: Increased Usage Among Older Adults
In 2024, adults 65 and older made up the largest share of website users, a change from 2023, when 25-34-year-olds constituted the largest share. This was a result of a 2024 national dissemination campaign, Healthy Decisions for Healthy Aging, which was funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation and drew attention to the FAIR Health for Older Adults section of the consumer website. The age distribution 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 percentage 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 costs for medical and dental care by procedure and geographic location. In 2024, the top five medical terms searched with the medical cost lookup tool were:
- MRI;
- Emergency;
- CT scan;
- Ultrasound; and
- Anesthesia.
From 2023 to 2024, “anesthesia” displaced “emergency room” in the fifth position. The remainder of the top five medical terms were the same in both years.
In 2024, the top five dental terms searched with the dental cost lookup tool were:
- Implant;
- Orthodontic;
- Root canal;
- Crown; and
- Deep cleaning.
From 2023 to 2024, “crown” and “deep cleaning” displaced, respectively, “extraction” and “braces” in the fourth and fifth positions. The remainder of the top five dental terms were the same in both years.
Top User Locations
The top five states from which visits to FAIR Health Consumer originated in 2024 were:
- California;
- New York;
- Texas;
- Florida; and
- Illinois.
From 2023 to 2024, Texas and New York switched positions, with Texas falling from second to third rank and New York rising from third to second. Additionally, Illinois displaced Virginia in fifth position. California and Florida remained in the same positions.
Most Popular Educational Topics
FAIR Health Consumer features a rich array of FH® Insurance Basics, which are original articles and videos that explain 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.
From 2023 to 2024, “Having More than One Health Plan” displaced “Negotiating Your Costs” in second position. “Out-of-Network Doctors in In-Network Facilities” entered the list in fourth position, while “Healthcare Services Not Covered by Health Insurance” fell from fourth to fifth position, displacing “Getting Covered for Alternative Medicine.” “When Out-of-Network Care Can Be Covered in Network” and “How to Review Your Medical Bill” remained, respectively, in first and third positions.
Top Decision Aids
Shared decision making—the discussion among patients, their caregivers and clinicians to decide on treatment based on clinical options and patient preferences and values—is facilitated by decision aids, which present treatment options for specific clinical conditions or scenarios. The groundbreaking decision aids on FAIR Health Consumer integrate cost estimates with clinical information. In 2024, the top decision aids on FAIR Health Consumer were:
- Early-stage breast cancer;
- Nutrition options for people who are seriously ill;
- Slow-growing prostate cancer;
- Ventilator options for people who are seriously ill; and
- Uterine fibroids—medication options.
From 2023 to 2024, the early-stage breast cancer decision aid, which was new to the top five, supplanted type 2 diabetes in first position; type 2 diabetes fell off the list. Slow-growing prostate cancer dropped from second to third position, while nutrition options for people who are seriously ill entered the list in second position. Ventilator options for people who are seriously ill dropped from third to fourth position, and uterine fibroids—medication options dropped from fourth to fifth position, displacing kidney dialysis.
The decision aids on FAIR Health Consumer were developed in connection with three separate grant projects: (1) an initiative to advance shared decision making for scenarios related to palliative care, funded by The New York Community Trust; (2) an initiative to advance shared decision making for conditions pertinent to patients of color, funded by the New York Health Foundation; and (3) an initiative to advance shared decision making for conditions particularly relevant to older adults, funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation.
Most Frequently Visited Total Treatment Cost Bundles
FAIR Health Consumer’s medical cost lookup tool provides access to FH® Total Treatment Cost bundles. With these, users can view the typical costs for all components of care for certain chronic and acute conditions and event-based procedures. The most frequently visited bundles in 2024 were:
- Heart failure;
- Vaginal delivery;
- C-section;
- Hip replacement; and
- Knee replacement.
In 2024, heart failure entered the list in first position. Vaginal delivery and C-section fell, respectively, from first and second ranks to second and third. Colonoscopy, which ranked third in 2023, fell off the list. Hip replacement and knee replacement displaced, respectively, ADHD and hyperkinetic syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis in fourth and fifth positions.
For the infographic, click here.