WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • Three experiments found that higher medical costs increased expectations of physical pain and reduced willingness to schedule procedures.
  • Participants considered copays of $53 for a blood draw, $787 for an endoscopy and $1,120 for a nerve conduction procedure.
  • Researchers said financial anxiety may spill into physical expectations before patients enter a doctor’s office.
  • Clear payment plans and less expensive options could reduce anxiety and encourage patients to obtain needed care.

The financial sting of an expensive medical procedure may lead people to expect a more physically painful experience, according to a new study. Researchers also found that higher healthcare prices could make people less willing to schedule necessary care.

The findings were reported recently in the journal Psychology & Marketing. Researchers examined what they described as “emotional spillover,” in which the discomfort associated with paying medical costs affects expectations about physical pain.

“We found that the psychological pain of paying money doesn't stay separate from our physical expectations," said lead researcher Helen Colby, an assistant teaching professor of marketing at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Colby said the amount patients must pay out of pocket can shape how they imagine a medical procedure before it happens. In particular, a larger bill may prompt people to prepare mentally for greater physical discomfort.

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“When a medical test costs more out of pocket, people mentally brace for a more painful physical experience,” Colby said. “Financial anxiety changes how we construct the prospect of healthcare in our minds before we ever set foot in a doctor's office.”

For the study, researchers conducted three separate experiments involving American adults. Each experiment focused on a different procedure, cost and decision involving anticipated pain or willingness to schedule an appointment.

The first experiment examined how a $53 copay for a blood draw affected expectations about the pain caused by the needle. That experiment involved 300 American adults.

A second experiment considered whether a $787 copay would affect the likelihood that someone would schedule an endoscopy. It included 350 American adults and focused on the relationship between the stated price and willingness to make an appointment.

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The third experiment involved 400 American adults and a nerve conduction procedure costing patients $1,120. Researchers tested whether the amount would influence both anticipated pain and the likelihood of scheduling the procedure.

In each experiment, participants were randomly selected to receive different cost information. Some were told how much they would have to pay, while others were told there would be no copay.

The results followed a consistent pattern across all three experiments. People presented with high prices predicted greater physical pain and showed less willingness to schedule appointments than those facing no copay.

Researchers proposed that financial distress can spill directly into expectations of physical discomfort. Under that explanation, the anxiety triggered by a heavy copay leads the brain to anticipate that the medical procedure itself will hurt more.

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The findings also could help explain why people with low incomes or those under financial strain are more likely to delay medical care, researchers said. Their reluctance may reflect both concern about another large bill and heightened expectations of physical pain.

The study indicates that healthcare costs can carry emotional consequences before a patient reaches a doctor's office. Price information may affect not only a person's finances, but also how that person imagines the procedure and whether the appointment feels worth pursuing.

“Healthcare providers and marketers need to realize that price tags carry heavy emotional weight," Colby said.

Colby said communicating less expensive options, providing clear payment plans and presenting preventive care as affordable could reduce financial anxiety. Such steps could also lower expected physical discomfort and encourage patients to obtain needed care.

“Communicating lower-cost options, offering clear payment plans, or framing preventive care as low-cost can lower financial anxiety,” she continued. “By reducing the pain of payment, we can decrease expected physical discomfort and encourage patients to get the medical care they need.”

The findings were described in a Carnegie Mellon University news release dated Oct. 28, 2026. The report also directed readers to the National Health Council for more information about financial toxicity.

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