The Impact of Medical Costs on the Healthcare-Seeking Behavior of Chronic Disease Patients Under the Anchoring Effect

During the implementation of the tiered healthcare system, the tendency of chronic disease patients to prefer tertiary hospitals has led to an imbalance in the allocation of medical resources. Medical costs are a key factor influencing the healthcare-seeking behavior of chronic disease patients. However, existing research has primarily focused on direct economic analysis, overlooking the impact of patients' subjective cognitive biases regarding costs on their healthcare decisions. This study, grounded in anchoring theory, examines the impact of medical cost anchors on healthcare-seeking behavior among chronic disease patients. Through a between-subjects survey experiment (high medical cost anchor/low medical cost anchor) × 2 (high disease cognition/low disease cognition) × 2 (high self-efficacy/low self-efficacy), it investigates the moderating roles of disease cognition and self-efficacy in this relationship.