Study Finds Patients Unaware of Details on High-Deductible Plans
Many California residents with high-deductible health insurance plans incorrectly believe the deductible applies to all physician visits, according to a Kaiser Permanente report published in the journal Health Affairs, Kaiser Health News' "Capsules" reports (Hancock, "Capsules," Kaiser Health News, 12/3).
Such plans typically exempt members from paying the deductible for recommended preventive health care services.
For the report, researchers surveyed 456 California residents who are enrolled in health savings accounts, a type of high-deductible plan (Fleming, "Health Affairs Blog," Health Affairs, 12/3).
Main Findings
Researchers found that fewer than one in five respondents understood that preventive care was available at no cost or for a small copayment as part of their plan.
According to the report, one-fifth of respondents said they had avoided preventive examination or treatment because of cost concerns ("Capsules," Kaiser Health News, 12/3).
Recommendations
The researchers recommended that insurers educate members about the details of high-deductible plans.
They also said insurers should seek to dissuade members from avoiding preventive care because of cost concerns ("Health Affairs Blog," Health Affairs, 12/3). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.