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Consumer-Directed Health Plans Can Save Money, But Effects on Quality Still Uncertain |
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RAND: Consumer-directed health plans can reduce health care use and lower costs, but it is debatable whether these high-deductible plans can accomplish this without deterring consumers from seeking needed care, according to a RAND Corporation study issued today. "The evidence from early adopters of these plans and similar changes in health insurance shows that greater cost-sharing leads to reductions in health care use and expenditures," said economist Melinda Beeuwkes Buntin, co-director of the Bing Center for Health Economics at RAND and lead author of the study. The RAND study is the lead article of a seven-article series on consumer-directed plans, which the researchers define as high-deductible health insurance plans that are often paired with pre-tax health savings accounts. "On balance," the RAND researchers conclude, "early evidence suggests that CDHC (consumer-directed health care) may help lower costs and cost increases." However, "claims that [consumer-directed plans] will encourage patients to reduce inappropriate and unnecessary use instead of making indiscriminate cuts are more problematic." The 1974-82 RAND Health Insurance Experiment (HIE) found that increased cost-sharing prompted consumers to forego appropriate and inappropriate care alike --- but with no apparent adverse health impacts. RAND Health is the nation's largest independent health policy research program, with a broad research portfolio that focuses on health care quality, costs and delivery, among other topics. The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world.
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