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Benefits October 30, 2017
Health Plan Participants Want to Know How to Lower Costs
HealthMine says its findings are relevant to the increased use of account-based health plans, which include health savings accounts (HSAs) and health reimbursement accounts (HRAs), and increase plan participant responsibility for cost management.
Reported by Rebecca Moore
HealthMine survey data underscores that health plan participants 64-years-old and younger want more guidance about how to lower health care costs.
Twenty-nine percent say they receive cost guidance today, versus 54% who want it. Survey results also reveal that health plan participants want more guidance about management of chronic conditions, fees and coverage after service, recommended health screenings and information from digital health tools.
HealthMine says the data is relevant to the increased use of account-based health plans (ABHPs), which include health savings accounts (HSAs) and health reimbursement accounts (HRAs). ABHPs can help increase plan participant responsibility for cost management. With more plan participants responsible for first-dollar coverage, more guidance from health plans about cost management is likely to be welcomed.
Thirty-nine percent reported they receive communications about management of chronic conditions, versus 45% who want such information. In addition, one-quarter said they receive communications about information from digital health tools, versus 33% who want it.
Seventy percent (70%) of health plan participants prefer communication digitally with their plan (email, text, website, or mobile app). Only 10% prefer telephone communications. In addition, 14% said their plan’s online digital portal rarely answers their questions and 5% reported they never do.
“With the growth of account based health plans, health insurers and employers are stepping up to give plan members guidance in cost management,” says Bryce Williams, president and CEO of HealthMine. “However, these data indicate that our entire industry can improve. Communication and guidance to help members manage costs and health will be a cornerstone issue as health savings accounts and health reimbursement accounts move toward ubiquity.”
The HealthMine Digital Healthcare Tools Survey queried 750 consumers ages 64 or younger enrolled in a sponsored insurance plan in the first quarter of 2017.