Findings from the 2012 EBRI/MGA Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey

28 Pages Posted: 21 Dec 2012

See all articles by Paul Fronstin

Paul Fronstin

Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)

Date Written: December 2012

Abstract

This paper presents findings from the 2012 EBRI/MGA Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey. This study is based on an online survey of 4,498 privately insured adults ages 21-64 and was designed to provide nationally representative data regarding the growth of account-based health plans and high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), and the impact of these plans and consumer engagement more generally on the behavior and attitudes of adults with private health insurance coverage. Findings from this survey are compared with findings from the 2005, 2006, and 2007 EBRI/Commonwealth Fund Consumerism in Health Care Survey, and the 2008-2011 EBRI/MGA Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey. The 2012 EBRI/MGA Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey finds continued slow growth in consumer-driven health plans: 10 percent of the population was enrolled in a CDHP, up from 7 percent in 2011. Enrollment in HDHPs remained at 16 percent. Overall, 18.6 million adults ages 21-64 with private insurance, representing 15.4 percent of that market, were either in a CDHP or were in an HDHP that was eligible for an HSA but the enrollee had not opened the account. When their children were counted, about 25 million individuals with private insurance, representing about 14.6 percent of the market, were either in a CDHP or an HSA-eligible plan. The 2012 EBRI/MGA Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey continues to find that CDHP enrollees are somewhat more cost conscious in their decision making than those in traditional plans. While CDHP enrollees, HDHP enrollees, and traditional-plan enrollees were about equally likely to report that they made use of quality information provided by their health plan, CDHP enrollees were more likely to use cost information and to try to find information about their doctors’ costs and quality from sources other than the health plan. CDHP enrollees were more likely than traditional-plan enrollees to take advantage of various wellness programs, such as health-risk assessments, health-promotion programs, and biometric screenings. In addition, financial incentives mattered more to CDHP enrollees than to traditional-plan enrollees.

It is not clear from the data whether the differences in consumer engagement can be attributed to plan design differences or whether various plan designs attract certain kinds of individuals. Regardless, it is clear that the underlying characteristics of the populations enrolled in these plans are different: Adults in a CDHP were significantly more likely to report being in excellent or very good health. Adults in a CDHP and those in an HDHP were significantly less likely to smoke than were adults in a traditional plan, and they were significantly more likely to exercise. People in a CDHP were also less likely to be obese compared with adults enrolled in a traditional health plan. CDHP and HDHP enrollees were also more likely than traditional-plan enrollees to be highly educated. As the CDHP and HDHP markets continue to expand and more enrollees are enrolled for longer periods of time, the sustained impact that these plans are having on cost, quality, and access to health care services can be better understood. The eight years of consumer engagement surveys reported here provide unique data from which to measure future changes in this evolving type of health insurance.

Keywords: Consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs), Employment-based benefits, Health care attitudes and opinions, Health insurance attitudes and opinions, Health insurance coverage, Health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), Health savings accounts (HSAs), High-deductible health plans (HDHPs), Wellness programs

JEL Classification: I1, I11, J3, J32

Suggested Citation

Fronstin, Paul, Findings from the 2012 EBRI/MGA Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey (December 2012). EBRI Issue Brief, Number 379, December 2012, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2192236

Paul Fronstin (Contact Author)

Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) ( email )

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