Health Affairs

Posting date: November 20, 2002

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Health Affairs, 10.1377/hlthaff.w2.395
Copyright © 2003 by Project HOPE

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Consumer-Driven Health Plans: Are They More Than Talk Now?

Jon R. Gabel ^1*, Anthony T. Lo Sasso ², Thomas Rice ³

¹ Jon Gabel is vice-president for health systems studies at the Health Research and Educational Trust in Washington, D.C.
² Anthony Lo Sasso is research associate professor at the Institute for Health Services Research and Policy Studies, Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
³ Thomas Rice is professor, Department of Health Services, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles.

^*Corresponding author.

Abstract

This paper reports marketplace developments in spring 2002 for consumer-driven health plans. Findings are from interviews with executives from start-up and health insurance firms, benefit consultants, employee benefit managers, Wall Street analysts, consumer organizations, thought leaders, and policymakers. We detail available evidence about the performance of consumer-driven plans concerning access to care, risk selection, cost containment, use of information, and legal issues. We find that consumer-driven health plans are now a central pillar of health insurers' business strategy and that an estimated 1.5 million persons are enrolled in such plans.

Key Words: Consumer Issues, Insurance--Business Coalitions, Insurance--Employment-Based System, Managed Care--Consumers

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