4.5 Article

Nearly Half Of Families In High-Deductible Health Plans Whose Members Have Chronic Conditions Face Substantial Financial Burden

Journal

HEALTH AFFAIRS
Volume 30, Issue 2, Pages 322-331

Publisher

PROJECT HOPE
DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0584

Keywords

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Funding

  1. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization (HCFO) Initiative
  2. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [HD052742]
  3. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [U18HS010391]

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High-deductible health plans-typically with deductibles of at least $1,000 per individual and $2,000 per family-require greater enrollee cost sharing than traditional plans. But they also may provide more affordable premiums and may be the lowest-cost, or only, coverage option for many families with members who are chronically ill. We surveyed families with chronic conditions in high-deductible plans and families in traditional plans to compare health care-related financial burden-such as experiencing difficulty paying medical or basic bills or having to set up payment plans. Almost half (48 percent) of the families with chronic conditions in high-deductible plans reported health care-related financial burden, compared to 21 percent of families in traditional plans. Almost twice as many lower-income families in high-deductible plans spent more than 3 percent of income on health care expenses as lower-income families in traditional plans (53 percent versus 29 percent). As health reform efforts advance, policy makers must consider how to modify high-deductible plans to reduce the financial burden for families with chronic conditions.

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