What Are the Negatives of Consumer Driven Health Plans?
Consumer driven health plans pay for many routine claims with pre-funded health reimbursement accounts (HRA) or health savings accounts (HSA). Higher cost claims are then paid through high-deductible plans. The theory is that if patients have greater control over health care spending, they will be more conservative when using health services. But critics of this plan argue that lower income people can’t afford to save or meet the high deductibles along with other potential negatives. Buyer Beware The model of consumer driven health plans is based on the idea that consumers will shop around for health services, seeking the best price, highest quality and efficiency as they would shop for any other product or service. But the president and CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) pointed out in a recent journal article that there is limited objective information directly available to consumers on the price and quality of health services. Under this type of insurance plan, do
