1 in 5 Regret Not Researching Healthcare Before Moving

By Hope Walborn
September 4, 2024
2 min.

Among the many considerations Americans make before moving, only 1 in 10 (9%) prioritize healthcare, according to Harmony Healthcare IT.

According to their report, 58% of Americans didn’t think about healthcare at all when they moved. Approximately 1 in 5 regretted not researching healthcare in their new community before relocating, and 53% said that if they were to move again, they would prioritize healthcare.

Reliable, accessible healthcare is important, yet 27% of Americans don’t like their healthcare options where they live. In rural areas, that number is higher at 47%.

Many Americans forget or forgo healthcare when relocating to a new home. After moving:

46% procrastinate finding a new doctor
36% put off finding a new doctor for one year or longer
30% forget to schedule a doctor’s appointment
38% miss an annual doctor’s appointment due to moving

Worse yet, 22% of Americans reported never finding a primary care doctor after moving. Of those, 63% said they aren’t planning to find one in 2024.

Why isn’t healthcare more of a priority? There are several reasons why recent movers don’t seek out new healthcare besides procrastination or forgetfulness. The top issues Americans face when trying to find a new doctor are:

Getting one in their insurance network
Doctors not accepting new patients
No doctor close by
Compatibility

Thirty-six percent do not think there are enough doctors in their area accepting new patients, and 46% do not think there are enough affordable doctors in their area. Overall, Americans had the most difficulty finding general practitioners, gynecologists, dentists, specialists and psychiatrists/therapists.

Keeping track of medical records can also be a challenge when moving. Of those in the military or military families, 29% said the biggest challenge when moving is keeping track of medical records and vaccination records. In general, 29% of Americans have experienced difficulties transferring health records between providers when switching doctors.