3.4% of payers see high-deductible health plans as best way to spur consumerism

A fourth of payers believe offering incentives for positive health behavior is the most effective way to make passive patients engage with their healthcare, according to a recent survey commissioned by Change Healthcare and the HealthCare Executive Group.

The eighth annual Industry Pulse Report examines responses from 2,000-plus healthcare leaders representing national and regional payers, as well as members of the HealthCare Executive Group and the Health Plan Alliance. Fifty-two percent of respondents hold positions at the vice president level and above.

Here are four additional findings from the study.

1. Only 3.4 percent of payers believe high-deductible health plans are an effective way to drive positive consumer behavior among members. The plurality of survey respondents (25.4 percent) said incentives are key to encouraging healthcare consumerism, while 23.7 percent of respondents said creating programs partnering patients with providers is the best method.

2. Eighty percent of payers are including social determinants of health in their member programs.

3. Payers use various strategies to weld social determinants of health into their businesses. Forty-two percent include community programs and resources, 33.7 percent integrate medical data with financial, census and geographic data, and 33.1 percent provide social assessments in concert with health risk assessments.

4. Nearly half of respondents said widespread adoption of digital health tools is hindered by privacy and security concerns.

More articles on payer issues:
Molina's operating loss balloons to $269M in Q4: 5 things to know
BCBS Association calls for 'urgent' stabilization of the ACA individual market
Aetna's former medical director says he never reviewed patient records before denying care

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.