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May 10, 2011
What Do Health Savings Account Plans Mean For Preventive Care?
The American Journal of Managed Care published the largest assessment of Health Savings Account plans to date. The new RAND Corporation study showed that Health Savings Account plans significantly cut health spending and motivated patients to cut back on preventive health care.
With more than 800,000 families around the country participating, researchers found that shifting to Health Savings Account plans with deductibles of at least $1,000 correlated with an average drop in health spending of 14 percent compared to families who had health plans with lower deductibles.
At the same time, families that moved to high-deductible plans significantly cut back on preventive health care, included critically needed services. They cut back on cancer screenings and routine tests for diabetes, as well as childhood immunizations.
Amelia M. Haviland, a study co-author and a statistician at the nonprofit RAND research organization said, "This suggests people are cutting both necessary and unnecessary care."
High-deductible health plans have been on the increase in recent years. About 20 percent of U.S residents with employer-sponsored health coverage were enrolled in such plans by 2009. By 2010, a survey showed more than 54 percent of big employers offered one or more high-deductible health plan.
Haviland cautions, "We saw that patients reduced preventive care, and if this persists, it is possible to have health consequences in the future. These cutbacks could cause a spike in health care costs down the road if people end up sicker and need more-intensive treatment. However, there is no research or data to support such a spike in health care costs."
Posted by Wiley Long at May 10, 2011 02:48 PM