To put context around this trend, here are six things to know about high-deductible plans:
1. The number of high-deductible plans grew after the ACA enabled millions of previously uninsured people to gain coverage. Today, for 39 percent of large employers, high-deductible plans are the only offering, up 7 percent since 2009, according to a survey by the National Business Group on Health.
2. The number of U.S. workers choosing high-deductible plans continues to grow. The number of workers with such plans grew 22 percent since 2009, with half of workers now purchasing them, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report.
3. High-deductible plans have grown among individuals with private insurance coverage. Nearly 40 percent of people with private coverage had a high-deductible health plan in 2016, compared to 43 percent in the first nine months of 2017, according to recent CDC data.
4. Adults with employer-provided high-deductible plans may decide to also enroll in a health savings account. A recent survey commissioned by WEX Health, a healthcare financial technology provider, found the primary reasons they chose to do so were to save for future healthcare needs (36 percent) and have the ability to save for out-of-pocket or unexpected healthcare expenses (29 percent).
5. Amid the rise of high-deductible plans, Americans have had opportunities to shop for care. However, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine showed most Americans with these plans don’t do so when accessing healthcare treatment. The same study showed 40 percent of high-deductible plan policyholders said they saved for future medical costs.
6. Only 3.4 percent of payers said they believe high-deductible plans are the best way to spur consumerism among members, according to a survey commissioned by Change Healthcare and the HealthCare Executive Group.
Morgan Haefner and Alia Paavola contributed to this report.
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