Objective: This study seeks to examine how older adults rate and identify the importance of attributes associated with healthcare seeking and utilization (eg, affordability, type of facility, and accessibility) in the United States.
Methods: The empirical work of this cross-sectional study is based on the 2014 Health and Retirement Study. Conjoint analysis and cluster analysis are used to assess the objective.
Results: There is a pressing need for sound policies that seek to reduce the cost of treatment and consultation and to improve the accessibility of care facility for older adults even though satisfaction pertaining to these attributes (ie, affordability, type of facility, and accessibility) differs across clusters.
Conclusion: The use of conjoint analysis in conjunction with cluster analysis can serve as a needs assessment tool to help policymakers and practitio- ners gauge older adults' expectations and priorities with respect to healthcare seeking and utilization. By taking the priorities of older adults into account, policymakers and practitioners can allocate healthcare resources more efficiently within budgetary constraints as they redesign and customize their program delivery approaches to meet the specific and relative healthcare needs of older adults in different clusters.