• Revenue Cycle Management
  • COVID-19
  • Reimbursement
  • Diabetes Awareness Month
  • Risk Management
  • Patient Retention
  • Staffing
  • Medical Economics® 100th Anniversary
  • Coding and documentation
  • Business of Endocrinology
  • Telehealth
  • Physicians Financial News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Cardiovascular Clinical Consult
  • Locum Tenens, brought to you by LocumLife®
  • Weight Management
  • Business of Women's Health
  • Practice Efficiency
  • Finance and Wealth
  • EHRs
  • Remote Patient Monitoring
  • Sponsored Webinars
  • Medical Technology
  • Billing and collections
  • Acute Pain Management
  • Exclusive Content
  • Value-based Care
  • Business of Pediatrics
  • Concierge Medicine 2.0 by Castle Connolly Private Health Partners
  • Practice Growth
  • Concierge Medicine
  • Business of Cardiology
  • Implementing the Topcon Ocular Telehealth Platform
  • Malpractice
  • Influenza
  • Sexual Health
  • Chronic Conditions
  • Technology
  • Legal and Policy
  • Money
  • Opinion
  • Vaccines
  • Practice Management
  • Patient Relations
  • Careers

High-deductible plans pose no greater risk

Article

People who are medically vulnerable who enroll in high-deductible health plans are at no more risk for cutting back on needed healthcare than other people who enroll in the plans.

People who are medically vulnerable-those with low incomes or chronic health problems-who enroll in high-deductible health plans are at no more risk for cutting back on needed healthcare than other people who enroll in the plans, according to a new RAND Corp. study.

Using data from more than 360,000 families nationwide who enrolled in high-deductible health plans offered by their employers from 2003 to 2007, the RAND study examined the impact of high-deductible and consumer-directed health plans on families living in low-income areas where median income is below 200% of the federal poverty level.

Medical spending declined among all families enrolled in high-deductible and consumer-directed health plans, relative to similar families in traditional plans, with the reductions among medically vulnerable families generally being similar to that seen among other families, according to researchers.

The study found that high-deductible plans coupled with health savings accounts reduced spending by a greater amount than other types of high-deductible plans.

Related Videos