Research/Policy Issues
a special project of the
National Center for Policy Analysis
Articles & Studies
09/25/2009
Health Plan Members Pleased with Their HSAs
Health Plan Members Pleased with Their HSAs
Most employers and account holders using health savings accounts and HSA-qualified health plans are satisfied with their coverage, spend less, and are more engaged in managing health benefits, two HSA industry-sponsored surveys indicate.
07/01/2009
Only Consumers Can Bend the Cost Curve
Only Consumers Can Bend the Cost Curve
President Obama says that we must lower health care costs, and Budget Director Peter Orszag argues we can "bend the curve" of health care spending and save $700 billion a year by cutting out waste and unnecessary care. But the methods Orszag and others recommended are unproven, and some have been shown to cost more money than they save. Worse yet, these "experts" are doing their best to kill the only approach that has been proven to work: consumer driven health care.
05/13/2009
Optum Survey: HSA Owners are Satisfied and Want to Retain Them as a Savings Option
Optum Survey: HSA Owners are Satisfied and Want to Retain Them as a Savings Option
Health savings account (HSA) owners are overwhelmingly satisfied with their accounts, and 91 percent believe such accounts should remain an option for Americans, according to a nationwide survey released today by OptumHealth Inc. More than 80 percent of respondents cite their ability to save for future health care expenses as the primary reason for opening and depositing money into their HSAs. The survey also found that 70 percent of HSA participants make $75,000 a year or less in income.
05/01/2009
Emerging Data on Consumer-Driven Health Plans
Emerging Data on Consumer-Driven Health Plans
Consumer-driven health (CDH) products have been marketed in various forms since the early 2000s. While emerging data is not entirely conclusive, general directional conclusions can be drawn from the studies published to date. This monograph summarizes the results of some of those studies, focusing on the ones that are based on historical claims data, that use credible methodologies, and that provide reasonably detailed and relevant results.
05/01/2009
AHIP Reports on Income Characteristics of HSA Accountholders
AHIP Reports on Income Characteristics of HSA Accountholders
In the summer of 2008, AHIP (America's Health Insurance Plans) initiated a long-term project to allow detailed analysis of financial activity in health savings accounts (HSAs). It concluded that HSAs are most popular with lower-middle or middle income consumers. Using a geo-coding technique to estimate the income characteristics of those HSA accountholders, the study analyzes account balances, inflows and outflows by income range.
05/01/2009
AHIP Releases 2008 HSA Enrollment Census
AHIP Releases 2008 HSA Enrollment Census
An annual census by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) of U.S. health insurance carriers shows that the number of people covered by health savings accounts/high-deductible health plans (HSA/HDHPs) totaled 8.0 million in January 2009. The census examines enrollment and premium trends across different states, and between large and small group markets.
03/10/2009
Consumer-Directed Plans Involve Consumers More and Cost Less, Six-Year Aetna Study Reveals
Consumer-Directed Plans Involve Consumers More and Cost Less, Six-Year Aetna Study Reveals
Aetna announed the results of a six-year study on its consumer-directed plan options. It demonstrated sustained savings for HealthFund accounts. The results also show that Aetna HealthFund members are seeking increased levels of chronic and preventive care. It also shows that Aetna HealthFund members had lower emergency room use than PPO members, suggesting that members are becoming better informed about where to access health care.
03/01/2009
Deloitte Finds that Consumers Want to be More Active in Directing thier Health Care
Deloitte Finds that Consumers Want to be More Active in Directing thier Health Care
Deloitte Center for Health Solutions has released its findings from a 2009 survey of health care consumers. It concluded that consumers want better performance from their health care system, and they think the current one is wasteful, inefficient, complex and expensive. Deloitte found that they are frustrated that the tools useful to them in making decisions about their health are not readily available. It also concluded that consumerism in health care is far from a fad, and should be a central component in the needed changes to the system.
02/01/2009
AHIP Studies HSA Account Withdrawls and Contributions for January 2007-June 2008
AHIP Studies HSA Account Withdrawls and Contributions for January 2007-June 2008
In July 2008, America's Health Insurance Plans' Center for Policy and Research launched a comprehensive study of financial activity in health savings accounts (HSAs). It reports on the number of new accounts, the age distribution of current accountholders, and the sources and amounts of deposits for accounts opened in different years.
02/01/2009
HSA Enrollment Expanding More Rapidly than Early IRAs, Finds Manhattan Institute Report
HSA Enrollment Expanding More Rapidly than Early IRAs, Finds Manhattan Institute Report
Benjamin Zycher of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research reports the available data on the characteristics of Health Savings Accounts and the progress they have made in enrolling Americans and drawing them away from traditional, comprehensive insurance plans. He reports data showing that these policies are now used by over 6 million U.S. residents and that their use is growing at a rate higher than the one at which the assets in individual retirement accounts accumulated in the first years following their authorization.