Older Americans are willing to travel far for medical care — sometimes much farther than policymakers and experts assume, according to researchers at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
Why it matters: As hospitals close in some areas, practices consolidate and telehealth expands, older adults may tolerate long trips for care — but not equally. The study suggests socioeconomic status affects willingness to travel.
What’s new: A study published recently in JAMA Network Open finds that many Americans age 65 and older are willing to travel more than an hour for routine or specialized medical care.
What happened: Researchers at the USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) surveyed a nationally representative group of older adults.
Results: On average, respondents would tolerate about an hour or more of travel time, particularly for specialty care.
Growth of telehealth may be impacted by how willing patients are to take long trips for in-person care versus receiving remote clinical care. (Image source: iStock.)
What they’re saying: “This shows older adults place a high value on access to care,” said Soeren Mattke , professor (research) of economics, director of the Brain Health Observatory at CESR and study senior author. “They are often willing to travel significant distances before delaying or forgoing care.”
Yes, but: The averages mask important differences.
Study first author Jeremy Burke , senior economist at CESR, said those gaps matter for health equity.
The big picture: Health systems are consolidating, with some services moving into regional hubs rather than neighborhood clinics. Policymakers often debate how far is “too far” for patients to travel, especially for older adults.
The findings also have implications for telehealth.
What else? Transportation policy plays a role, too. Programs that offer ride services, improved public transit or partnerships with community organizations could make a meaningful difference for vulnerable seniors.
Between the lines: Older adults living in big cities were less willing to travel long durations.
Bottom line: Many older Americans are willing to travel surprisingly long distances for medical care — but willingness depends on health, resources and access to transportation.
The findings are based on data from the Understanding America Study , a nationally representative internet panel administered by CESR. For this study, researchers surveyed a representative sample of 2,650 adults age 65 or older between April 23 and June 8, 2025, about their willingness to travel for primary care, specialty care and one-time diagnostic appointments.
In addition to Mattke and Burke, authors on the study include USC Dornsife researchers Tabasa Ozawa, Ying Liu and Wei Ye, all from the USC Brain Health Observatory based at USC Dornsife.
The study was funded by National Institute on Aging grants 1R01AG083189 and 1U01AG077280.
JAMA Network Open
10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.60280
Survey
People
Willingness of Older Adults to Travel for Medical Care
23-Feb-2026
Dr Burke reported receiving grants from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) during the conduct of the study. Dr Liu reported receiving grants from National Institutes of Health during the conduct of the study. Dr Ye reported receiving grants from the NIA during the conduct of the study. Dr Mattke reported receiving grants from the NIA during the conduct of the study and grants from Biogen, C2N, Eli Lilly, Eisai, and Genentech outside the submitted work. In addition, Dr Mattke reported receiving personal fees from Biogen, C2N, Eisai, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, and Roche/Genentech as well as serving on the Senscio Systems Board of Directors, the Boston Millenia Partners Scientific Advisory Board, and the Alzpath Scientific Advisory Board outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.