Paying for Pain: How Healthcare Costs Influence Physical Pain Predictions

ABSTRACT As healthcare costs continue to rise in the United States, consumers increasingly encounter financial burdens that impact their economic well‐being along with their psychological experiences surrounding medical care. This research examines how the pain of paying, a well‐established concept in marketing, shapes consumers' predictions of physical pain associated with healthcare procedures. Across three experimental studies, we find that higher out‐of‐pocket costs increase anticipated physical pain through pain of paying and financial anxiety. Study 1 demonstrates that out‐of‐pocket costs heighten anticipated physical pain via a sequential pathway of pain of paying and financial anxiety. Study 2 shows that cost‐induced financial discomfort extends to behavioral intentions, reducing willingness to schedule a procedure. Study 3 identifies general financial stress as a moderator, such that effects on scheduling intentions are strongest among financially stressed consumers. These findings extend pain of paying theory into the healthcare domain by demonstrating how financial cues spillover into perceptual and affective judgments under medical uncertainty. The results offer implications for healthcare patients, marketers, providers, and policymakers by illustrating how payment structures and cost communication may inadvertently shape patients' expectations and intentions, particularly among financially vulnerable populations.