We don’t have to tell you how important healthcare is – you already know. However, with all of the uncertainty surrounding the state and future of healthcare in the U.S., it’s hard to know much else. Being stuck in the dark isn’t a pleasant feeling, especially when it comes to decisions that affect our bodies, minds, and families.

So, while the national healthcare debates rage on, we thought we would inform you of 10 interesting and unexpected (data-driven) insights, relating to healthcare and wellness, that we have seen so far this year.

1. Men are more likely to make the insurance decisions in their household (69%), while women are more likely to make the healthcare decisions (68%). This trend has remained consistent over the past several years.

2. If they were to use marijuana for recreational or medicinal purposes, the majority of Americans (47%) would prefer to use marijuana through traditional smoking methods, as opposed to the next largest group (31%) who would prefer edibles.

[shade-open-form]

3. U.S. moms are less attached to one primary doctor. In 2016, only 24% of moms said they did not have one person that they thought of as their personal doctor or healthcare provider. In 2017, that number has risen to 30%.

4. Americans who follow trends and current events in the fields of medicine and healthcare “Very closely” have increased by 20% from 2016 to 2017.

5. Millennials who say they’re “Not at all Concerned” about the state of healthcare in the U.S. have grown by an overall 31% from 2016 to 2017 (13% vs. 17%).

6. U.S. adults who say that they are “Very likely” to switch health insurance companies or obtain health insurance in the next year are 36% more likely to go to the movies more than once a month.

7. If healthcare costs continue to rise, 44% of Millennials (compared to 41% last quarter) would primarily cut spending on dining out in order to save money.

8. 32% of adult men think they do eat healthy, with the next largest groups (at 16% each) saying they don’t eat healthier because they don’t have enough time / it’s too much work, or that it’s too expensive.

9. Currently, 58% of Americans consider themselves to be overweight, compared to 63% in Q3 2016. This trend is even more dramatic among Millennials, where those who consider themselves overweight dropped from 52% to 44% over the same period.

10. 31% of people who say they’re very healthy say they manage their money very well. In comparison, only 15% of people who say they’re not very healthy say they manage their money very well.

If you’d like to download a PDF version of this data, click here.

[shade-close-form]