Aussies set to spend $22bn on healthcare in 2022, prioritising wellbeing

Research from Afterpay shows that Australians will be prioritising their healthcare this year. There is an expected spend of $22 billion on consistent health care appointments.

After two years on pause, new research from Afterpay has revealed Aussies will be prioritising their healthcare in 2022 and are expected to spend a whopping $22 billion (an average of $1,254) this year on regular healthcare appointments.

The research found that almost a third (30%) are planning to make check-ups more of a priority over the coming 12 months, as 1 in 5 (20%) said general healthcare check-ups were less of a priority last year due to Covid-19, and nearly half (46%) only visited key healthcare practices when they felt there was a problem.

What’s more, nine in 10 Aussies (91%) plan to spend money on healthcare practices in 2022, with the dentist (59%) topping the list of practitioners Aussies will be heading to, followed by the GP (47%) and optometrists (38%).

Further New Year, New Health findings include:

• Most health conscious state: NSW residents (27%) are more likely to say COVID-19 has put into perspective the importance of prioritising good healthcare for the year ahead, compared to Victorians (18%), South Australians (15%) and Western Australians (15%).
• Hitting the wallet: 1 in 10 (12%) Aussies were unable to financially support all the check- ups they needed for their health in 2021.
• Priority appointments: Other common expenditures planned in 2022 include gyms/fitness (31%), mental health (17%), physiotherapy (15%) and skin care clinic visits (14%).
• Falling down the list: The healthcare services least visited in the last 12 months were chiropractors (11%), audiologists (11%) and dermatologists (9%).
• Lockdown barriers: 1 in 5 (19%) Aussies said they were unable to attend healthcare appointments in 2021 due to COVID-19 and/or lockdowns.
• Mind matters: Gen Z are the most likely generation to spend money on mental health related healthcare (36%) in 2022 than any other generation.

Kellie Christensen, Senior Manager, Health ANZ at Afterpay notes, “2021 was another tough year for all Australians with continued lockdowns affecting the majority of the country including their maintenance of general healthcare. It’s great to see Aussies are looking to prioritise their health in 2022, but our research shows a fifth (20%) of Aussies are concerned they won’t have the finances to cover the high costs associated with regular healthcare check- ups.

“Thankfully, Afterpay can take the stress out of prioritising your health, with a number of dental, optometry, physiotherapy, pharmacy and wellness services available. This means all Aussies can put themselves first in 2022, and feel safe in the knowledge they can pay the costs off in four easy fortnightly repayments without incurring interest ever.”

Afterpay is available in-store and online, and has a range of healthcare and wellness services available, including dental, optometry, chiropractor, physiotherapy, audiology, fitness, gyms, pharmacy, supplements and more.