Family Life

07.06.09 | FL News Team

Women have gone bargain hunting for health care. A survey by the health insurance company CIGNA of one-thousand working-age adults finds 20 percent of women now compare the cost of doctors and medical procedures. The survey, detailed by "USA Today," also found 79 percent of women are choosing to buy generic medications when possible rather than name-brand drugs.

The figures for men are much lower at 15 percent and 69 percent, respectively. Websites are available to help with the sorting. Candace Anderson is the founder of offrugalmom.net. She says women tend to have a different way of thinking than men when it comes to shopping -- and that includes health issues. Anderson says "we almost love the thrill of not only being able to find a bargain, but being able to tell everybody about it."

CIGNA's Kurt Weimer says "from our perspective, women have always been sort of the key decision maker in health care selection." He says now women are not only choosing which doctor to see or medicines to purchase "now they're looking at the economics."