Survey: Enrollment in consumer-driven health plans remains low
Only 2% of privately insured adults were enrolled in a consumer-driven health plan in 2007, according to a new survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute and Commonwealth Fund. The survey defines consumer-driven health plans as those that combine a deductible of $1,000 or more with a tax-advantaged health savings account or health reimbursement arrangement, which the individual can use to pay for medical expenses or take with them when they change jobs.
“So far there is little evidence that the tax benefits of consumer-driven health plans have the potential to help change the trajectory of health care cost growth, are leading health plans or providers to provide more information about the quality and price of services to patients, or are decreasing the number of people without health insurance,” the authors conclude. About 11% of privately insured adults in 2007 had a high-deductible health plan without an HSA or HRA, the survey found.