High-deductible health plans are associated with a significant decrease in preventative care and office visits, leading to a reduction in healthcare costs, according to a study published in Health Affairs.
For the study, three Indianapolis-based Indiana University researchers conducted a systemic review of studies on healthcare use and HDHPs, selecting 28 articles to examine. Nir Menachemi, a professor of health policy and management at Indiana University's Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, told the school's publication HDHPs were linked to reductions in medical services in the articles.
Specifically, the researchers found HDHPs were associated with a significant decrease in preventive healthcare in seven of 12 articles. In six of 11 studies, the authors uncovered a significant reduction in office visits linked to HDHPs.
"For high-deductible health plans to work in the ideal, patients need to be educated on the fact that preventive care does not usually incur out-of-pocket costs in these types of plans," Mr. Menachemi said. "Traditional insurance plans shield patients from all of the financial decisions that are made. The fact that you are shielded financially from health care decisions makes you potentially more likely to over-consume services, which raises the average of care for everyone and increases premiums for everyone."